EuroWire, PARIS: UNESCO said it is working closely with governments to help them develop strategies, action plans and regulatory frameworks to ensure the safe and effective use of digital technology in education, including artificial intelligence, as education systems worldwide confront widening inequality, funding constraints and the rapid expansion of commercial education technology tools. The agency made the statement as it marked the 2026 International Day for Digital Learning, an observance established by UNESCO Member States in 2023 to promote the responsible use of digital tools in schools and learning systems.
UNESCO said the annual observance is intended not only to highlight how schools, teachers, students and families are using digital technologies to improve learning outcomes, but also to examine the risks that accompany the growing role of digital systems in education. Those risks include unequal access, weak governance, dependence on private platforms and the possibility that new tools, if poorly managed, could deepen rather than reduce disparities in access and achievement. The organization described the day as an opportunity for the education sector to set priorities, define norms and exchange practical approaches for digital learning that support national and international education goals.
In a statement issued for the occasion, UNESCO urged governments and education partners to work together to make digital technology serve public needs. “On this International Day, UNESCO calls on States, partners and the education community to join forces to make digital technology a tool for more accessible education that serves, first and foremost, the interests of people worldwide,” the agency said. This year’s observance is centered on the theme of building digital futures for public education, with a focus on how public institutions can create and manage digital resources that strengthen learning systems rather than fragment them.
Digital divide remains critical challenge for policymakers
As part of that effort, UNESCO, in partnership with UNICEF and the International Telecommunication Union, launched the Charter for Public Digital Learning Platforms. The new charter offers normative guidance for public authorities on the design, governance and ongoing improvement of digital learning platforms intended for public use. UNESCO said the document is meant to help governments build systems that uphold the right to education, treat digital learning infrastructure as a public good, and reinforce inclusion, equity and resilience across national education systems.
The agencies described the charter as a roadmap for policymakers seeking to align technology deployment with educational objectives and public accountability. According to UNESCO, the charter is designed to ensure that teachers’ and learners’ needs remain central as governments build or expand public digital platforms. It comes at what the organization described as a decisive moment for digital learning, with hundreds of millions of children and young people around the world still failing to achieve minimum learning levels.
Coordinated action needed to avoid widening inequality
UNESCO warned that without coordinated and sustained support, many students could be left out of digital systems that are becoming increasingly important to both classroom learning and lifelong education. The agency said that exclusion from such systems risks creating longer-term disadvantages for learners already facing barriers. The challenges are being compounded by declining investment. UNESCO cited UNICEF data showing that global education funding is facing a $3.2 billion decline by 2026, a reduction that could put the futures of millions of children at risk.
At the same time, education systems are contending with the fast-growing influence of artificial intelligence, generative chatbots and a broad range of education technology products, many of which are available only through paid access models. That combination of falling resources and expanding commercial tools has raised concerns among international agencies that digital transformation may move faster than public systems’ capacity to manage it in an equitable way. UNESCO said urgent and principled action is needed to ensure that digital transformation supports public education rather than weakens it.
The agency warned that without clear governance, inclusive planning and sustained public investment, the spread of AI and other digital tools could intensify fragmentation and inequality instead of improving resilience and learning outcomes. Through the International Day for Digital Learning and the launch of the new charter, UNESCO and its partners are seeking to push governments toward policies that make digital education more accessible, more accountable and more closely aligned with the interests of learners, teachers and communities.