Foster youth participation in transforming education.

On International Day of Education, UNESCO–ANUIES Youth Committee in Mexico submitted proposals to the Ministry of Public Education to transform education.

Students from 12 states across Mexico of the UNESCO and ANUIES (National Association of Universities and Higher Education Institutions) Youth Advisory Committee presented the document “Transforming Higher Education with Youth: Proposals to Co-Create Our Common Future 2026–2030”, which they delivered to the Minister of Public Education, Mario Delgado, and submitted for consideration by schools, teachers, and education authorities. The document, built collectively over six months of discussions and research, sets out concrete actions to co-create education, from classrooms to the public policy level, under the following areas: Peace with justice, Decent work, Gender equality, Sustainable development, Diversity and interculturality, Comprehensive health, Technology and innovation, and Education, arts, and culture. Through this publication, Mexico advances actions to promote meaningful youth participation and leadership in transforming education, in line with UNESCO’s 2026 Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report on youth.

During the opening of the Forum at the historic Ibero-American Hall of the Living Museum of Muralism, the Minister of Public Education highlighted progress under the New Mexican School coordinated by the Government of Mexico and President Claudia Sheinbaum, which seeks to reduce longstanding inequalities and strengthen the right to education and comprehensive well-being.


May every girl, every boy, adolescent, and young person know that they have a place in this country to fully realize themselves, heal the wounds of the world, and shape their own reality.
--  Mario Delgado, Minister of Public Education of Mexico.


Alejandra King, Julissa Traconis, and Cristian Hernández—students and members of the Youth Advisory Committee—held a dialogue with the Secretary General of ANUIES, Luis González Placencia, on challenges and alternatives to make full participation a reality beyond the consultative spaces that exist in many settings. They highlighted the intergenerational bridges, recognizing and addressing multiple transitions —including ecological and technological, fostering coexistence and collectivity, and mobilizing students with their peers and with authorities.

The document was presented during the Forum “The Power of Youth in the Co-Creation of Education”, organized by UNESCO, the Ministry of Public Education (SEP), and ANUIES on the International Day of Education (24 January). The 2026 edition was marked globally with a call to action to foster the meaningful participation of youth, especially in contexts of crisis.

In the panel “Young People Leading Educational Participation Around the World,” Roberto Hernández of the SDG 4 Youth & Student Network and young Hñähñu teacher Jessica Cano shared insights on the power of education to transform lives and build community, as well as locally grounded actions such as revitalizing local knowledge, adopting a global citizenship perspective to address shared challenges, and engaging with artificial intelligence and climate change.

Representatives from the Under-secretariats for Basic, Upper Secondary, and Higher Education of the Ministry of Public Education shared experiences and proposals to achieve full student participation in educational processes. These included tailoring approaches to diverse territorial realities and strengthening community linkages through the New Mexican School to support students’ development as rights-holders and to encourage informed, responsible, and participatory engagement in public affairs within their communities.