The International Conferences on Public Education (IBE & UNESCO-led): Toward a mode of global governance in education? (1934-1989)

• In Event: Not just the usual suspects: 100 years of UNESCO IBE's shaping global governance of education (Part I)

Proposal

Established in 1934, the annual International Conference on Public Instruction (ICPI), organized by the International Bureau of Education (IBE), convenes representatives of nation-states, as well as intergovernmental and civil society actors, with the aim of shaping educational policies and frameworks. Producing a total of 76 recommendations, these efforts constitute a « universal education charter » (Hofstetter & Schneuwly, 2024).

This pillar activity of intergovernmental cooperation in education was placed under the auspices of UNESCO in 1947 and further renamed the International Conference on Education (ICE) in 1970. Scholarship has been granting a growing interest on its implementation, its modus operandi and its effective participation and experimentation (Hofstetter & Schneuwly, 2024; Hofstetter & ERHISE, 2021; Brylinski, 2022). These analyses also reveal how such activity, defined as a neutral space supposedly preserved from political issues, can be permeable to geopolitical stakes.

Nonetheless, it is worth noting the uniqueness of the IBE: this is a small and experimental institution that compete in a constellation of larger bureaucratic international organizations. How did it manage to survive? The flexibility of its operatory mode was the key to success. Attentive to the needs of states, while recognizing that its legitimacy is contingent upon their active participation, the IBE has instituted a model of intergovernmental cooperation that adapts in response to varying contexts, individual actors, and specific requests. Consequently, the IBE continuously evolves, adjusting and reforming its practices. Thus, the structure of its Conferences has undergone significant transformation. In the late 20th century, these Conferences increasingly involved civil society, adopted influential global concepts, and developed tools to monitor national implementation, reflecting the emergence of a global governance model inherited from intergovernmental practices.

Through a cross-analysis of the IBE's administrative correspondence and the coded reports from the Conferences, in conjunction with the extensive scholarship on the development of global governance in education (Mundy, 2007; Kuroda, 2014), the research identifies the key elements that mark the shift from a cooperative framework to a governance-based model. Building on the historical evolution of the IBE and its commitment to plural universalism (Hofstetter & Schneuwly, 2024), this study critically examines how the emerging operational model may reshape the dynamics of international cooperation and influence the objectives set by key stakeholders. In doing so, it draws attention to several paradoxes that underlie contemporary critiques of international organizations, such as UNESCO, and initiatives like the 2030 Agenda. More broadly, this research --anchored in social and transnational history (Saunier, 2013)-- contributes to the historicization of global governance in education, using historical analysis to shed light on contemporary challenges in international educational development.

Author

• Emeline Brylinski, Université de Genève