ICAE co-facilitates the Capacity-building workshop for GRALE 6 for the Asia and the Pacific region, Shanghai, China, 15 – 16 October 2025
As part of the preparation for the publication of the Sixth Global Report on Adult Learning and Education (GRALE 6) in 2027, UIL has offered a range of capacity-building opportunities, including regional workshops and self-paced online learning modules. GRALE 6 aims to explore how adult learning and education can respond to and shape the rapid global transformations being driven by digitalization, economic crises, environmental sustainability, conflict, and health crises.
Two regional workshops were completed in 2026. The President of the ICAE, Jose Roberto ‘Robbie’ Guevara, co-facilitated the Asia-Pacific Regional Workshop that was conducted in Shanghai, China, from 15-16 November. The workshop was participated in by 13 national focal point persons, together with 5 civil society organisations, 5 representing the academic sector. The workshop focused on identifying sources for collecting available and reliable ALE data, which most representatives identified as a significant challenge; value and ways of engaging national stakeholders to expand the sources and types of relevant ALE data, and exploring the possibility of utilising Artificial Intelligence to source relevant and reliable data.
While there are plans for further regional meetings, we invite our ICAE members to engage with two actions linked to optimising the participation of civil society representatives in the national GRALE 6 processes.
First, it is important to note that while there are limited opportunities for face-to-face regional workshops, UIL has provided opportunities to supplement the Capacity-building Workshops, through a Self-paced Online Module that can be accessed via the UIL Learning Hub. https://www.uil.unesco.org/en/learning-hub. The specific module for GRALE 6 can be accessed via – https://learninghub.uil.unesco.org/enrol/index.php?id=69
Registration and enrollment is open to all. The GRALE 6 Course is expected to take 10 hour. While most of the Modules are relevant for individuals and organisations directly involved in the conduct of the GRALE 6 survey, the initial Modules that focus on the GRALE 6 and ALE Frameworks, Stakeholder Engagement and ALE Terminologies are useful for civil society organisations to engage with.
Second, we have been informed that national focal points were identified through the assistance of the respective UNESCO National Commissions, as early as June 2025, and that they were encouraged to identify a civil society partner, or in some cases an academic/research institutional partner. We encourage our members to contact your respective UNESCO National Commissions to identify and make contact with the national focal points. While the deadline for the GRALE 6 surveys are fast approaching, there are still a number of opportunities for ICAE members to contribute to the analysis, the qualitative case studies and in promoting greater awareness of the significant contributions of civil society to ALE in their own countries.
Finally, another recent opportunity that has been advertised by UIL is to encourage civil society representatives who have expertise in research and analysis to apply for drafting the monitoring section of GRALE 6. This will involve “developing the methodological and analytical frameworks, analyzing and interpreting the quantitative and qualitative survey data, producing the data visualizations, and formulating clear, policy-oriented findings.” Details can be accessed via the following link: https://careers.unesco.org/job/Hamburg-Drafting-of-monitoring-section-GRALE-6-Call-for-proposals/1349424057/
Text by Robbie Guevara, ICAE President