UNESCO launches technical support for Palestine’s curriculum renewal

UNESCO and Palestinian curriculum specialists led by the Deputy Minister of Education of Palestine met in April 2026 to advance curriculum renewal focused on peace, human rights and sustainable development.

On 2–3 April 2026, UNESCO welcomed a delegation of Palestinian curriculum specialists led by the Deputy Minister of Education of Palestine, H.E. Dr Nafieh Assaf. Over two intensive days, they worked with UNESCO experts to drive forward Palestine’s curriculum renewal agenda—one that strengthens learning outcomes and places peace, human rights and sustainable development at the heart of Palestinian education.

The Palestinian reform agenda includes modernizing the education system and strengthening its curriculum framework—last revised in 2017—with the aim of improving the quality and relevance of learning grounded in the principles of peace, human rights, and sustainable development.

At the request of the Ministry of Education of Palestine, UNESCO is providing technical expertise to accompany curriculum renewal efforts—thereby advancing quality learning for millions of children and youth and ensuring that schools remain places that reconcile people rather than divide them.

Building on its longstanding expertise, normative instruments and its century-old International Bureau of Education, UNESCO has launched its technical support for Palestine’s curriculum renewal, with a first dedicated workshop aimed at strengthening national capacities in curriculum design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. During the workshop, UNESCO experts and representatives from the Ministry of Education of Palestine outlined the strategic priorities for the curriculum renewal.

A presentation of the 2023 Recommendation on Education for Peace, Human Rights and Sustainable Development—supported by international case studies on its implementation and UNESCO’s methodological tools for curriculum review—offered a valuable opportunity for knowledge exchange on how, concretely, education systems can foster mutual understanding, strengthen social cohesion and contribute to lasting peace.

Participants endorsed a joint roadmap, including the development of a new comprehensive national curriculum framework, as well as a series of training workshops for national curriculum developers tailored to the Palestinian context. The roadmap further includes strengthening assessment systems and teacher development through medium-term capacity building initiatives—for teachers are essential to turning curriculum renewal ambitions into meaningful improvements in learning experiences.

These efforts deepen the long-standing cooperation between UNESCO and the Ministry of Education of Palestine, to sustain quality education and learning continuity for Palestinian children and youth despite the difficult humanitarian conditions.

UNESCO renewed commitments to scaling up the Organization’s ongoing efforts, with the support of its Member States and trusted partners, in particular through the Gaza Virtual University Campus, and by providing temporary learning spaces, scholarships, as well as mental health and psychosocial support to Palestinian children and youth. In Gaza alone, over 30,000 children and youth have benefited from UNESCO’s educational programmes in recent months.