Once a year, the OHCHR calls for an “Intersessional meeting of the Human Rights Council on Human Rights and the 2030 Agenda”. This year, the meeting was titled “Overcoming multiple crises: realising the SDGs through a human rights enhancing economy” and focused, among others, on SDG 17 which foresees multi-stakeholder partnerships for the achievement of all SDGs, including SDG 4.

SDG 4 wants “quality education”. Yet what does that mean? Josyane Zingg took the floor on behalf of OIDEL to explain that no homogenous approach will lead to “quality education” for all. Instead, education has to be adaptable to the cultural background of the child. Therefore, in multi-stakeholder partnerships for the achievement of SDG 4, parents and communities play a crucial role. They must be included and listened to, and trusted in decision-making processes concerning education.

We also noted that such partnerships for the achievement of SDG 4 have to be dynamic. Since communities are always changing and in constant dialogue with each other, a multi-stakeholder partnership in education has to be continually evolving as do the stakeholder communities.