The XII Inter-American Meeting of Ministers of Education of the OAS, held on October 28 and 29, concluded in Quito with a joint hemispheric Declaration and Action Plan on educational continuity, digital transformation, democratic participation, healthy school environments, and preparation for the world of work.
The meeting, held under the theme "Toward Resilient Education Systems in Contexts of Change" and co-organized with the Government of Ecuador, brought together 41 sector leaders and decision-makers, including the Ministers of Education of Barbados, Colombia, Ecuador, Suriname, and Haiti, to agree on collective responses to common challenges that can be addressed more effectively by joining forces and with support from the OAS. Key issues analyzed included student retention and re-engagement, addressing the 9.6 million children outside the school system in Latin America and the Caribbean, and digital technologies and critical literacy in a context where over 240 million people lack internet access.
The gathering also agreed to seek regional solutions to strengthen democratic participation amid declining support for democracy in the region over the past decade; to promote lifelong learning, with an emphasis on skills, technical and vocational education, and better transitions between education and employment; and to create healthy school environments, in a region where childhood overweight affects 33.6% of the school-age population.
OAS Secretary General Albert R. Ramdin emphasized that the ministerial meeting "reaffirms the OAS's commitment to connecting the region's highest authorities to transform hemispheric consensus into effective solutions that protect educational continuity, strengthen democracy, and prepare our youth for future challenges." "True development does not happen in isolation: it is built through continuous dialogue, cooperation, and the joint design of shared roadmaps," Secretary General Ramdin added.
Ecuador's Minister of Education, Sport, and Culture, Gilda Natalia Alcívar García, stated that the consensus reached in Quito "commits us to continue working together, within the framework of the Inter-American Committee on Education, to make our education systems more resilient and better prepared to support every student in contexts of change." "On behalf of the Government of Ecuador, I thank all delegations for their active participation, for sharing their experiences, and for the spirit of consensus that enabled us to adopt the Hemispheric Declaration and the Hemispheric Action Plan on Education."
OAS Executive Secretary for Integral Development, Isabelle Valois, underscored the value of regional cooperation in achieving results on the path to resilient education systems. "The future of education in the Americas depends on our collective ability to turn today's commitments into real opportunities for our students, educators, and communities," she noted.
Consensus, Commitments, and Operational Roadmap
The two strategic instruments approved in Quito provide regional education authorities with a shared framework, supported by the OAS, for jointly developing tools, identifying opportunities for technical cooperation, and exchanging experiences and solutions that complement each country's educational policies, according to its priorities and contexts. They will also guide the work of the Inter-American Committee on Education (CIE) over the next two years.
The classroom solutions agreed to in the 2026-2028 Hemispheric Action Plan roadmap are:
• Advance digital and critical literacy through the Hemispheric Protocol on Education in Digital Environments and by promoting cross-sector partnerships.
• Implement PAHO-backed nutrition and physical activity policies in schools.
• Implement evidence-based, flexible learning-pathway policies to facilitate school continuity and re-engage excluded students.
• Advance technical and vocational education and lifelong learning to align education systems with the labor market.
• Promote practical democratic values in schools across the Americas to strengthen participation and youth leadership.
In connection with the meeting's activities, the OAS Educational Portal of the Americas and the organization Ayuda en Acción co-hosted a special session to analyze the impact of artificial intelligence on education. The session addressed the urgency of preventing new socioeconomic gaps and of aligning young people's technical training with real employment opportunities.
During the meeting, it was announced that Costa Rica will host the next OAS education ministerial meeting in 2029.
Access here the joint hemispheric Declaration adopted during the ministerial meeting.
Reference: E-111/26
