The New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations (NZUSA) has been accepted as a member of the Education and Academic Stakeholder Group (EASG).
The EASG consists of human rights-based education and civil society organisations, academic organisations, and networks that focus on the right to education, to engage in the monitoring of the implementation of Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Their work recently included review of SDG 4 “Quality Education” for the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF). Their participation in United Nations (UN) processes includes coordinating research-based advocacy messages, materials and analysis, communication and media to draw attention to critical education issues, and to hold governments to account for the recognition of education as a human right.
The Group is organised by the Global Campaign for Education, Education International, the International Council for Adult Education, the Global Student Forum (GSF), and the European Students’ Union (ESU). NZUSA has come on as a new stakeholder alongside a number ofother democratically-elected student organisations.
NZUSA National President, Ellen Dixon, who holds the international portfolio and is a Steering Committee Member at the GSF, says:
“There is a great need for greater awareness of the issues of violating education as a human right. Building upon the work that the EASG has done in 2021 with the HLPF Review of SDG 4, it is essential that Aotearoa New Zealand and other members of the Pacific step up to contribute to the conversation on the SDGs and quality education for all. We need to contribute to addressing the disruption caused by the pandemic, inequality and discrimination, the impact of natural disasters and climate change, holding donor nations to account, the upholding of academic freedom, and accessibility of digital tools and technology, to name a few topics.
We as student unions need to be working closer with education activists, civil society and other trade unions to uphold education, to ensure that our voices are being heard at every level of governance. We should not be divided when we discuss education as a political topic with the government of our nation, or the governments of the world. Education is about our local, national, regional and global community. We are stronger together.”
NZUSA will commence as a member of the EASG as of this month. Ellen plans on being in New York for the next HLPF following NZUSA’s engagement with the EASG, to contribute to the conversation on SDG 4 in the lead up to the UN SDG Summit and the Summit for the Future in 2024.