Announcing the Asia-Pacific Multilingual Education Working Group Regional Webinar, Series No. 5: ‘MLE Advocacy: Opportunities and Strategies’

As part of the Asia-Pacific Multilingual Education Working Group (MLE WG), the UNESCO Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education (UNESCO Bangkok) is hosting the fifth session of its regional webinar series. This webinar will focus on opportunities and strategies for MLE advocacy in the region. It will begin with an overview of successful approaches to MLE advocacy, featuring lessons learned. Against this background, panel speakers will discuss two high-level opportunities for MLE advocacy at the regional and international levels. While this webinar will feature a panel of prominent speakers, time will be allotted for participants to share their thoughts and experiences in a moderated discussion.

Objectives

To raise awareness of internationally significant events which can serve as platforms for MLE advocacy
To highlight approaches to MLE advocacy at the local, national, and regional levels
To catalyse multilateral engagement, understanding and cooperation in approaching MLE advocacy

Target Audience

The target audience for the webinar consists of regional, national and international level MLE stakeholders (including both policymakers and practitioners) to enhance their awareness of upcoming internationally significant events in planning their advocacy strategies.

Working Language

English; no additional language accommodations provided.

Dates and Format

Wed, 23 March 2022

11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (Bangkok time; GMT+7)

Zoom Conferencing

Registration

Registration is free but required in advance; upon registering, you will receive a unique join URL via email: https://unesco-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_IdK2hXn2RXid5Iu9JRq9sA

For more Information

Asia-Pacific Multilingual Education Working Group Secretariat

E-mail: mlewg@unesco.org

Agenda
Wednesday, 23 March 2022 Moderators: Kyungah Kristy Bang, Programme Officer, UNESCO Bangkok Kirk Person, Senior Literacy and Education Consultant, SIL International
11:00 – 11:05 a.m.	Welcome and Introduction from the Asia-Pacific Multilingual Education Working Group Erin Tanner, Education Specialist, UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office (EAPRO)
11:05 a.m. – 12:10 p.m.	Panel Speakers: ‘What is APREMC-II and How can MLE Practitioners Help National Delegations Prepare?’ – Margarete Sachs-Israel, Chief of Section for Inclusive Quality Education, UNESCO Bangkok (20 mins) ‘Bringing Non-dominant Languages into Education Systems: Change from Above, from Below, from the Side—or a Combination?’ – Kimmo Kosonen, Payap University and SIL International (10 mins) ‘The International Decade of Indigenous Languages’ – Linh Anh Moreau, UNESCO Bangkok (15 mins) ‘Indigenous People’s Organizations and the MLE Movement: Partnering for IDIL’ – Suraporn Suriyamonton, Country Representative, Pestalozzi Children’s Foundation, Thailand (20 mins)
12:10 – 12:25 p.m.	Discussion and Q&A Discussant: Joseph Lo Bianco, Professor Emeritus of Language and Literacy Education, University of Melbourne
12:25 – 12:30 p.m.	Wrap Up 'MLE Advocacy from a Media Advocacy Perspective' – Manoch Chummuangpak, Dhurakij Pundit University, Member State Representative of the IDIL Global Task Force, Thailand