The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres has commended Sierra Leone’s President Dr. Julius Maada Bio for his commitment to education and expressed interest in deepening cooperation with Sierra Leone.

This was during a bilateral meeting at the United Nations Headquarters earlier today, the eve of Leaders Day at the Transforming Education Summit.

He also thanked President Julius Maada Bio for accepting to co-chair the High-Level Steering Committee on Education.

The Leaders Day at the Transforming Education Summit (16, 17 & 19 September 2022) will be dedicated to the presentation of National Statements of commitment by Heads of State and Government in the form of Leaders Roundtables.

A limited number of thematic sessions will also be held to place a focus on cross-cutting priorities for transforming education. Leaders Day will also feature the presentation of the Summit Youth Declaration and the Secretary-General’s Vision Statement for Transforming Education.

The Transforming Education Summit is being convened in response to a global crisis in education- one of equity and inclusion, quality and relevance. Often slow and unseen, this crisis is having a devastating impact on the futures of children and youth worldwide.

The Summit provides a unique opportunity to elevate education to the top of the global political agenda and to mobilise action, ambition, solidarity and solutions to recover pandemic-related learning losses and sow the seeds to transform education in a rapidly changing world.