"Every learner deserves a teacher who is well prepared, well supported and empowered to thrive in the profession. Realizing this right depends on how societies value teachers and the teaching profession. In fact, the value we place on teachers reflects the value we place on future generations.

 

Sixty years ago, UNESCO and the International Labour Organization (ILO) adopted the Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers.1It articulates a shared vision of teaching as a profession that deserves public recognition and the support needed to fulfil its responsibilities.

 

Sixty years on, the Recommendation’s core purpose remains as relevant as ever. Standing with teachers begins by ensuring that they have the conditions necessaryto carry out their work effectively. This includes high-quality initial teacher education, opportunities for continuous professional learning and safe, supportive working environments. It also means trusting teachers’ professional judgement and ensuring that their experience helps inform education policy through meaningful social dialogue.

 

These priorities have become increasingly urgent. The world is projected to need 50million additional teachers by 2030, including 44 million teachers to achieve universal primary and secondary education2and 6 million for pre-primary education.3Recruiting new teachers is as necessary as retaining experienced ones and ensuring that teaching offers motivating, rewarding and sustainable career pathways, including opportunities for female teachers to take up leadership positions. Advancing gender equality in and through teaching is essential to addressing persistent gender norms, barriers, and inequalities.

 

Protecting and promoting the status of teachers requires more than acknowledging the importance of the profession. It demands concrete action to enhance the esteem accorded to teachers and the support provided for their work. This is reflected in the resources invested in schools and teachers, the quality of their working conditions, and the confidence placed in teachers' professional judgement. Governments bear a central responsibility in this regard, working alongside employers, teacher organizations, teacher education institutions, communities and international partners.

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The 60th anniversary of the ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers is an opportunity to renew that commitment. As we work with Member States to revise the 1966 Recommendation and ensure that it reflects the realities of teaching in thetwenty-first century, its fundamental purpose remains unchanged. It continues to provide a strong foundation for strengthening the teaching profession and expanding access to quality education for every learner.

 

Today, teachers educate learners in a world shaped by rapid technological change, including artificial intelligence, as well as climate change, conflict, displacement, persistent inequalities and increasingly diverse learning environments. In this context,teachers are expected not only to impart knowledge and skills, but also to foster critical thinking, inclusion, resilience, lifelong learning and responsible citizenship. As expectations continue to grow, the teaching profession must evolve alongside the transformation of education, with teachers empowered not only to adapt to change but also to help shape the futures of education.

 

In doing so, we can build on international cooperation and guidance, including the Recommendations of the United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession (2024) and the Santiago Consensus (UNESCO, 2025). We must value the teacher-student relationship as a strong foundation of education, and preserve the essential role of socialization and human interaction in education.

 

On this World Teachers’ Day, UNESCO, the ILO, UNICEF and Education International call on governments and partners to stand with teachers by advancing the status of the profession and ensuring that every teacher, everywhere, is empowered to help build more inclusive, peaceful and sustainable societies."