His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa co-chairs the Leaders' Meeting of the UNESCO DG in France.
President Cyril Ramaphosa called on global leaders to prioritise education as the bedrock and enabler of all Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) during his three-day official working visit to France, which aimed to strengthen bilateral relations, honour fallen South African soldiers, and advance global education reform.
Drawing upon President Nelson Mandela's profound insight that "education is the most powerful weapon which one can use to change the world", Ramaphosa emphasised that education is vital to unlocking human potential, transforming lives, and empowering nations to build a more inclusive and prosperous future.
The visit featured high-level engagements with French President Emmanuel Macron and a leadership role at UNESCO headquarters, where Ramaphosa co-chaired the High-Level Steering Committee leaders' meeting on Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education) at the invitation of Director-General Khaled El-Enany.
Ramaphosa cautioned in his speech that intricate global difficulties, ranging from conflict and pandemics to poverty, inequality, and climate change, have rendered the international education agenda “ more crucial than ever.”
