UNESCO Chair on Refugee Integration through Education, Language and Arts

The UNESCO guidelines 'Languages Matter: Global Guidance on Multilingual Education' have been published.

The guide presents up-to-date principles for language-in-education policies that recognize multilingualism as both a fundamental human characteristic and an essential educational approach. Alison Phipps was part of a team of advisers who wrote the first draft, and as such, a lot of the work we have been doing in the UNESCO Chair and in Alison's previous research projects have fed into it. 

This guide is designed to assist Ministries of Education and key educational stakeholders integrate multilingual education into their policy-making and practices, with the goal of creating more inclusive, equitable, and effective educational systems that benefit all learners. It outlines current principles for language-in-education policies that view multilingualism as both a fundamental human characteristic and a vital educational approach.

The guide also includes key actions for advancing multilingual education policies, plans, and programmes, alongside promising case studies, practical tools for real-world implementation, and resources that can be adapted to various contexts.

You can access the guide, available in English and French, through the following links:

Languages matter: Global guidance on multilingual education
Les langues comptent : orientations mondiales sur l’éducation multilingue

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First published: 4 March 2025