The Group of Seven (G7) Education Ministers  met in Trieste, Italy on 27-29 June 2024, to discuss common goals by 2030. Chaired by the Italian Minister of Education and Merit, Professor Giuseppe Valditara, theG7informal forum brought together ministers from Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, as well as EU representatives.  

The Ministers published a joint G7 Education Ministers’ Declaration outlining the need to further support equitable learning globally in line with the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) while acknowledging recent global declines in student learning.  

Amongst other points, they reiterated the importance of:

• Accelerating innovative approaches to education, including by means of sharing evidence-based best practices of tech-enabled teaching, learning, assessment and management; 

• Supporting the acquisition of a broad range of foundational skills from early learning to professional competencies, including those needed to navigate the digital and green transitions and an ageing society; 

• Expanding educational priorities beyond academic success to include the physical and social-emotional health and well-being of all members of the school community, based on comprehensive strategies, at national and local level that combine prevention and intervention and involve  local stakeholders to increase social inclusion; Increasing cross-border education cooperation and stronger partnerships between education institutions and the private sector to promote student and staff mobility and exchanges, thus improving the acquisition of relevant qualifications and competences.  

The Ministers decided to support increased collaboration between G7 Countries and the African Union and African Countries to address challenges related to education and training as well as labour market supply and the demand for skills and competences. In this context, they welcomed the Year of Education 2024 launched by the African Union under the theme “Educate and Skill Africa for the 21st Century” and expressed commitment to working together with the global community, particularly with the African Union and African Countries, to progress towards the achievement of SDG 4.