On June 16, 2026, the China National Academy of Educational Sciences (CNAES) held an online working meeting with the team of the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report to discuss future collaboration. Li Yongzhi, President of CNAES, and Manos Antoninis, Director of the GEM Report, attended the meeting.

The Global Education Monitoring Report is a flagship UNESCO publication that monitors progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) on education. Drawing on global data and case studies, the report analyzes trends in education development worldwide and provides evidence-based support for national education policymaking and global education governance. CNAES has maintained a long-standing partnership with the GEM Report team, contributing to the preparation of country reports on China and providing expert consultation on multiple occasions. The Chinese edition of the GEM Report has been published by Educational Science Publishing House for fifteen consecutive years.

During the meeting, Li Yongzhi introduced CNAES’s major ongoing research initiatives. He noted that the GEM Report plays a significant role in advancing global education research and supporting the achievement of SDG 4. He expressed the hope that the two sides would establish a long-term cooperation mechanism, deepen joint research efforts, promote the international dissemination of China’s educational development experiences and practices, and contribute to the sustainable development of education worldwide.

Manos Antoninis highly commended the research achievements of CNAES and introduced the working mechanism, research priorities, and thematic framework of the GEM Report. He expressed his expectation of building a long-term, in-depth, and multi-dimensional partnership with CNAES. By leveraging the strengths of both institutions, he noted, the collaboration could further enhance the scientific rigor and representativeness of global education monitoring.

During the discussion session, representatives from both sides engaged in in-depth exchanges on a range of topics, including monitoring educational quality and learning outcomes, evaluation of education development strategies, national education policy archives, global digital education development, international trends in educational innovation, STEM education, and regional education development. The two sides also exchanged views on data and knowledge sharing, staff exchanges, joint publications, and dissemination of research outcomes, and reached consensus on a framework and working mechanism for future cooperation.

Representatives from the Institute of Education Statistics and Analysis, the Institute of Basic Education Research, the Institute of Comparative Education Research, Educational Science Publishing House, and the Division of International Cooperation and Exchange of CNAES participated in the meeting.