Milagros Tolón points out that the agreement of the Ibero-American Conference on Education "reaffirms its commitment to inclusive, equitable and quality education"

The Minister for Education, Vocational Training and Sport, Milagros Tolón, has applauded the agreement reached by the XXIX Ibero-American Conference of Ministers for Education, included in the Barcelona Declaration signed today. The 15-point document commits to the ethical use of artificial intelligence, the promotion of job-linked vocational training and the emergency preparedness of schools.

The conference, which took place on 27 and 28 May in Barcelona, ended with "an important political result", the approval of the Barcelona Declaration, which "reaffirms the commitment of the Ibero-American countries to inclusive, equitable and quality education at a time of profound technological, social and economic transformations", according to the minister at the end of the conference.

The meeting, held as part of the meetings prior to the XXX Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government scheduled for 4 and 5 November in Madrid, thus fulfils its objective of "strengthening Ibero-American cooperation and building common responses to challenges that no country can face alone".

In this regard, particular mention should be made of the agreement reached to promote a future Ibero-American Education Strategy, in collaboration with the Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI) and with the support of the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB). "The aim is to move towards a stable framework of cooperation that allows us to share knowledge, promote joint projects and strengthen our education systems among the great challenges of the present and the future," said the minister.

The challenges include the use of artificial intelligence in education, which Milagros Tolón pointed out "is transforming the way we learn". The Barcelona Declaration agrees to advance common frameworks to ensure responsible, safe and ethical use of this technology in areas such as protection of rights and teacher training, and to develop a common set of recommendations.

The Conference is also committed to promoting a shared roadmap to move towards flexible, accreditable and dual vocational training models throughout Ibero-America, furthering the recognition of skills, lifelong learning, training mobility and collaboration between educational centres and companies, among others. "VET is today a decisive tool for employment and social cohesion", said Tolón. "The best policy against inequality is to provide useful training and opportunities," he added.

The third major focus of the final declaration is on improving the resilience of education systems in the face of crisis situations, such as climate or health emergencies. "We have worked on an Ibero-American guide for prevention, action and resilience in the event of emergencies in educational centres" that incorporates issues such as educational continuity, psychosocial support and the protection of psychosocial students, the minister summarised.

Milagros Tolón also recalled that, together with these major axes, the idea of equity runs transversally through the entire joint declaration, because "technological transformation, artificial intelligence and the modernisation of Vocational Training will only make sense if they serve to expand opportunities". "Investing in education today is investing in social cohesion, in democracy and in the future. This is the shared responsibility of the Ibero-American countries," he concluded.

Non official translation