Transition preoccupied our thinking and actions in 2025. Transitions will continue to guide our work in 2026.
It is important to acknowledge that we recognise that for the ICAE, these transitions are not a single event, but have in reality manifested as multiple transitions.
For most of us, the main transition was the significant leadership change in the ICAE with the departure of our Secretary General, Katarina Popovic, after almost 12 years of outstanding service to adult learning and education. However, this leadership change has ushered a series of other transitions, such as: staff transition, with the appointment of Farrell Hunter, as the Interim Secretary General; transition in our official registration, moving from Serbia to South Africa, and the transition in the location of the Secretariat from Belgrade to Cape Town.
All these transitions are part of a purposeful but also opportunity driven actions by the Executive and the Secretariat. As our outgoing Secretary General Katarina Popovic had observed, for a 52 year old global network, this will only be the fourth major move of our Secretariat from Toronto, Canada, to Montevideo, Uruguay, to Manila, Philippines, to Belgrade in Serbia, and now in Cape Town, South Africa. It is also important to note that each move involved the opportunity to be hosted by one of our active ICAE members. Our current host is the German Adult Education Association (DVV-I). With this move, it is important to extend our deepest appreciation for the 12 years that we were hosted by the Adult Education Society (AES) in Serbia. Let me personally acknowledge the extensive work that both Katarina Popovic and Dušan Zdravković have contributed.
In addition, these multiple transitions have also coincided with emerging opportunities. Our registration and locating the Secretariat officially in South Africa could not have come at a more opportune moment, as before the end of 2025, we signed an MOU with the African Foundation for Lifelong Learning, a commitment that was identified in the Marrakech Framework for Action (MFA). (See related article: https://icae.global/en/2025/12/icae-signed-mou-with-the-african-foundation-for-lifelong-learning-fa-atlv/.)
Therefore, as we welcome 2026, we are all excited about how these transitions and opportunities have aligned. We hope that you too will find similar opportunities for us to advance our work together, amidst challenging global times. One constant amidst these transitions is our commitment to the right to adult learning and education for all, within the framework for lifelong learning. This commitment has not wavered but has become stronger, to allow us to better understand, respond and shape a more peaceful, equitable, sustainable and gender-fair future. We look forward to learning alongside our communities, through strong partnerships with our members, amidst these multiple transitions.