What is the primary focus of the 5th TELLS Conference on Future Education 2026?

The conference focuses on exploring the evolving landscape of education and shaping future learning environments.

5th TELLS Conference on Future Education 2026

Name: 5th TELLS Conference on Future Education 2026
Start: 2026-09-15T00:00:00Z
End: 2026-09-16T00:00:00Z
Location: Kigali

Sep 15–16, 2026Kigali, RwandaIn-person

Registration open

The 5th TELLS Conference on Future Education 2026 is scheduled to take place in Kigali, Rwanda. This event serves as a critical forum for exploring the evolving landscape of education, bringing together diverse perspectives to discuss challenges and opportunities in shaping future learning environments. The conference aims to foster dialogue and collaboration among educators, policymakers, and innovators.

Committees & topics

Topics
The Law of the Sea as a Pillar of International Legitimacy: Addressing Contemporary Challenges · SDG 4: Ensuring Inclusive and Equitable Quality Education for All · SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions · SDG 17: Revitalizing the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development

Why it matters

The conference's focus on future education is particularly relevant in a rapidly changing global context. As technological advancements and societal shifts continue to redefine the demands on educational systems, platforms like the 5th TELLS Conference provide essential spaces for strategic planning and adaptation. The discussions held here can influence policy directions and pedagogical approaches, ensuring that educational frameworks remain robust and equitable.

Hosting this event in Kigali, RWA, underscores the growing importance of diverse regional perspectives in global educational discourse. It highlights the need to address educational disparities and leverage local innovations to create more inclusive and effective learning models worldwide. The outcomes of such conferences can contribute significantly to international efforts to achieve sustainable development goals related to quality education.

How to prepare

Delegates preparing for the 5th TELLS Conference on Future Education 2026 should consider conducting a thorough stakeholder analysis, as outlined in the lesson on "what-is-stakeholder-mapping". Understanding the various actors involved in educational reform, from government bodies to local communities, is crucial for effective engagement. This includes identifying both direct and "hidden-stakeholders" who may significantly impact educational initiatives.

Furthermore, participants should prepare to engage with diverse "engagement-strategies" to foster collaborative solutions. Given the international nature of the conference, an understanding of "gender-dynamics-across-cultures" will be beneficial in promoting inclusive discussions and ensuring that proposed solutions are culturally sensitive and broadly applicable. A "dynamic-analysis" of current educational trends and future projections will also be key to contributing meaningfully to the conference's objectives.

Country perspectives

Where the most-relevant 3 countries stand on the core issues in play. Click through for the full country profile.

Rwanda

As the host nation, RWA is positioned to showcase its advancements in educational reform and highlight the unique challenges and opportunities within its context.

Role in topic

RWA plays a pivotal role in demonstrating how educational innovation can be implemented in a developing economy, offering valuable insights into scalable and sustainable models for future education.

Norway

NOR, a nation known for its progressive educational policies and investment in research, will likely contribute perspectives on technology integration and equitable access.

Role in topic

NOR can share its experiences in leveraging digital tools for learning and ensuring high-quality education for all citizens, potentially influencing discussions on best practices for future educational systems.

United States

The USA, with its diverse educational landscape and significant research output, will likely offer insights into pedagogical innovation and the role of higher education in driving future skills.

Role in topic

The USA's contributions could focus on emerging educational technologies, workforce development, and strategies for fostering critical thinking and creativity in future generations.

Topics & background

The background behind each topic and the actors that shape it.

The Law of the Sea as a Pillar of International Legitimacy: Addressing Contemporary Challenges

The modern law of the sea emerged from centuries of customary practice and was codified in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which entered into force in 1994. UNCLOS established the legal architecture governing territorial seas, contiguous zones, exclusive economic zones (EEZs), the continental shelf, the high seas, and the deep seabed as the 'common heritage of mankind.' It also created institutions including the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), the International Seabed Authority (ISA), and the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. For four decades, the Convention has served as a near-universal framework, though notable holdouts—most prominently the United States, which observes much of it as customary law without ratifying—complicate its universality. Contemporary challenges have placed UNCLOS under significant strain. In the South China Sea, overlapping claims and China's rejection of the 2016 arbitral tribunal ruling under Annex VII have tested compliance mechanisms. In the Arctic, melting sea ice has reopened questions about extended continental shelf claims, navigation rights through the Northwest and Northern Sea Routes, and resource exploitation. Maritime security threats—piracy off the Horn of Africa and in the Gulf of Guinea, illegal fishing, gray-zone tactics by maritime militias, and attacks on shipping in the Red Sea—test enforcement. Meanwhile, climate change raises unresolved legal questions about baselines and the statehood of submerging island nations. New negotiations have sought to update the regime: the 2023 Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ, or 'High Seas Treaty') addresses marine genetic resources and high-seas protected areas, while the ISA is finalizing regulations for deep-sea mining amid calls for a moratorium. The central debate today is whether UNCLOS remains a credible pillar of international legitimacy or whether selective compliance, great-power rivalry, and emerging issues require new legal and institutional responses.

Key players

SDG 4: Ensuring Inclusive and Equitable Quality Education for All

Sustainable Development Goal 4, adopted as part of the 2030 Agenda in 2015, commits states to 'ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.' It builds on the earlier Education for All movement and the Millennium Development Goals, but expands the agenda to encompass early childhood, technical and vocational training, higher education, teacher quality, learning environments, and global citizenship education. The 2015 Incheon Declaration and the Education 2030 Framework for Action, coordinated by UNESCO, established the principal roadmap for implementation, with seven outcome targets and three means-of-implementation targets. Progress has been uneven and was sharply set back by the COVID-19 pandemic, which closed schools for over 1.6 billion learners at its peak and produced what the World Bank described as the largest 'learning poverty' shock in modern history. UNESCO's Global Education Monitoring Report estimates that roughly 250 million children and youth remain out of school, while the share of ten-year-olds in low- and middle-income countries unable to read a simple text rose substantially. Persistent gaps in financing, teacher shortages estimated at 44 million worldwide, gender disparities especially in secondary and tertiary education, and the exclusion of refugees and children with disabilities continue to challenge the goal. The 2022 Transforming Education Summit reframed the agenda around foundational learning, digital transformation, green skills, teacher support, and sustainable financing. Emerging issues include the rapid diffusion of artificial intelligence and generative tools in classrooms, the widening digital divide, the targeting of schools in armed conflict, and the need to align curricula with climate and labor-market realities. With 2030 approaching, debates increasingly focus on how to accelerate progress, mobilize domestic and international financing, and rethink what 'quality education' means in a rapidly changing world.

Key players

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Sustainable Development Goal 16 commits states to 'promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.' Its inclusion in the 2030 Agenda was contested during negotiations, as some states regarded governance and rule-of-law issues as sovereign domestic matters. Its eventual adoption marked recognition that development outcomes depend on functioning institutions, security, and accountable governance, building on the 2011 World Development Report's finding that no fragile or conflict-affected low-income country had met any of the MDGs. Progress on SDG 16 has been mixed and in several respects negative. The Uppsala Conflict Data Program and SIPRI report that the number of state-based armed conflicts has reached its highest level since the end of the Cold War, with major wars in Ukraine, Sudan, Gaza, Myanmar, and the Sahel. UNHCR records over 117 million forcibly displaced persons globally. Indicators on civic space, press freedom, and judicial independence have deteriorated in many regions, while illicit financial flows, corruption, and organized crime continue to undermine institutions. Targets on birth registration, access to justice, and reducing violence against children show partial progress but remain off-track. Debate today centers on how to operationalize SDG 16 amid geopolitical fragmentation and contested norms. Issues include the protection of civilians in armed conflict, accountability for atrocity crimes through the International Criminal Court and ad hoc mechanisms, anti-corruption frameworks under UNCAC, the governance of artificial intelligence and digital public infrastructure, and the participation of women and youth in peace processes under the WPS and YPS agendas. The 2024 Summit of the Future and its Pact for the Future highlighted reform of global governance institutions as central to delivering on SDG 16.

Key players

SDG 17: Revitalizing the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development

Sustainable Development Goal 17 is the cross-cutting partnership goal of the 2030 Agenda, calling on states to 'strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development.' Its 19 targets span finance, technology, capacity-building, trade, and systemic issues such as policy coherence, data, and multi-stakeholder partnerships. SDG 17 builds on the 2002 Monterrey Consensus and the 2015 Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development, which together established the principal framework for mobilizing public and private resources for development. The partnership is under severe strain. UNCTAD estimates the SDG financing gap for developing countries at roughly USD 4 trillion per year, up from USD 2.5 trillion in 2015. Official development assistance has stagnated relative to need, debt distress affects more than half of low-income countries, and developing economies face borrowing costs several times those of advanced economies. Trade tensions, export controls on critical technologies, and a fragmenting digital governance landscape complicate cooperation. At the same time, climate finance commitments under the UNFCCC—including the new collective quantified goal agreed at COP29—are closely linked to SDG 17's mobilization targets. Current debates focus on reform of the international financial architecture, including proposals from the Bridgetown Initiative, expanded lending by multilateral development banks, debt restructuring under the G20 Common Framework, and international tax cooperation through the UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation now under negotiation. The 2025 Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in Seville is expected to be a defining moment for SDG 17, alongside ongoing work on technology transfer, data and statistical capacity, and South-South and triangular cooperation.

Key players

Resources

News, lessons, and country profiles to prep for 5th TELLS Conference on Future Education 2026.

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Lessons

Bite-sized lessons to build the basics

Hidden Stakeholders

Engagement Strategies

Dynamic Analysis

Stakeholder Mapping Workshop

Courses

Guided courses that go deeper on the topic

Advanced Negotiation

Multilateral Negotiation

Policy Brief Writing

Conflict Resolution

The states in play, with the data that shapes their stance

Country dossier

Country dossier

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Country dossier

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Country dossier

Country dossier

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Rwanda September 2026

By committee

Frequently asked questions

5th TELLS Conference on Future Education 2026

Sep 15–16, 2026Kigali, RwandaIn-person

Registration open

Committees & topics

Topics
The Law of the Sea as a Pillar of International Legitimacy: Addressing Contemporary Challenges · SDG 4: Ensuring Inclusive and Equitable Quality Education for All · SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions · SDG 17: Revitalizing the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development

Why it matters

How to prepare

Country perspectives

Where the most-relevant 3 countries stand on the core issues in play. Click through for the full country profile.

Rwanda

As the host nation, RWA is positioned to showcase its advancements in educational reform and highlight the unique challenges and opportunities within its context.

Role in topic

RWA plays a pivotal role in demonstrating how educational innovation can be implemented in a developing economy, offering valuable insights into scalable and sustainable models for future education.

Norway

NOR, a nation known for its progressive educational policies and investment in research, will likely contribute perspectives on technology integration and equitable access.

Role in topic

United States

The USA, with its diverse educational landscape and significant research output, will likely offer insights into pedagogical innovation and the role of higher education in driving future skills.

Role in topic

The USA's contributions could focus on emerging educational technologies, workforce development, and strategies for fostering critical thinking and creativity in future generations.