Join us for special in-person events and for important conversations online.
Will you be attending UNGA 81 events?
EdTech Hub will be joining and hosting events alongside this year’s 81st Session of the UN General Assembly. We hope to share insights, learn, and connect with global partners shaping the future of education evidence and AI-enabled technologies. Our leadership, including Verna Lalbeharie, Lea Simpson, David Hollow, Daniel Plaut and Tyler Zang, will participate in key conversations, gearing towards shaping the future of education, and going beyond hype and “digital as usual” to create real impact for learners and governments.
As a global research and innovation hub, we generate trusted, neutral evidence, test tools and methods, and build partnerships that help governments and organisations make smarter choices for long-term impact for all learners. If you’re attending UNGA, connect with us to explore how technology can drive equitable, sustainable learning outcomes.
Opportunities to connect
If you are attending UNGA, we would love to connect. Not only is this a great chance to exchange ideas, but it is also an opportunity to discuss how EdTech can help transform education systems. Be sure to look out for our team members at the following sessions.
- Verna Lalbeharie, Executive Director
- David Hollow, Director of Research
- Lea Simpson, Director of Innovation
- Tyler Zang, Director of Impact Communications
- Daniel Plaut, Global Learning Lead, AI Observatory & Action Lab
- Iona Wotton, Research Manager
20 September
Education Systems in the Age of AI: What’s Changed, What’s Next?
UNESCO, UNICEF, ITU, the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), and Cambridge University Press & Assessment will bring together policymakers, donors and leading experts to examine how countries are strengthening system-level approaches to digital transformation in the age of AI, and how the Digital Transformation Collaborative (DTC) and its Six Pillars Framework can support the strategic thinking needed to navigate this change.
As part of this high-level event, EdTech Hub’s Executive Director Verna Lalbeharie will speak as part of a panel on “Evidence, Innovation & Partnerships: What Are We Learning?” The panel will be led by UNICEF’s Global Director of Education Pia Britto. It will also feature Oksana Matiiash, Head, WINWIN EdTech Center of Excellence, Ukraine, Alex Wong, Senior Advisor, Strategic Engagement and Initiatives, Office of the Secretary-General, International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and Adam Barton, Global Education, Beneficial Deployments, Anthropic.
21 September
UNICEF’s Learn AI Global Compact
EdTech Hub will launch its flagship joint report with UNICEF, “Shaping the future of digital education: A global conversation on how to move beyond digital as usual,” at UNICEF’s Learn AI Global Compact. EdTech Hub’s Executive Director Verna Lalbeharie and Pia Rebello Britto, UNICEF’s Global Director of Education, will unveil the report; which draws on evidence reviews, think pieces and country case studies, the report tackles one question: how can digital and AI-enabled technology genuinely improve learning, teaching, safety and equity — rather than simply digitising business as usual?
22 September
Session: AI in Education: evidence, implementation and impact
⏰ Time: 08:45 – 09:45 EDT
📍 Location: General Assembly, Education House, Floor 14
EdTech Hub, Cambridge Partnership for Education, and Fundación Ceibal are hosting a panel on how AI is reshaping education and what it takes to deliver system impact. This event will explore emerging trends, promising innovations and case studies – identifying what works, what remains challenging and the conditions needed to use AI effectively to strengthen learning, teaching and education systems.
Empowering Teachers in Low-Resource Classrooms to Co-Design EdTech for Student-Centered Learning
⏰ Time: 12:30 – 14:00 EDT
📍 Location: Geneva, Education House, Floor 14
As part of a global coalition of EdTech builders, funders, and implementers, EdTech Hub will lead an interactive workshop alongside Learning Equality, International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030, Digital Promise, Asante Africa Foundation, Rising Academies, Transcend, and Jacobs Foundation. Join us as we share evidence and tools for putting teachers’ agency at the center of AI-driven, student-centered learning design.
Built to Last: Investing in Education as Resilience Infrastructure
⏰ Time: 13:30 – 15:00 EDT
📍 Location: The Teachers’ Lounge, Floor 13, Education House
Hosted by War Child Alliance’s Can’t Wait to Learn, this session brings governments, funders, and researchers into honest conversation about building education systems that last through crisis. EdTech Hub’s David Hollow, Research Director, is proud to take part alongside Jacobs Foundation, UBS Foundation, and Ministries of Education.
From Commitments to Action: Launching the Global AI for Learning Collective Action Agenda
⏰ Time: 17:00 – 18:30 EDT
📍 Location: General Assembly, Education House, Floor 14
Alongside UNGA 81, the Global AI for Learning Collective Action Agenda launches, turning global ambition for responsible, inclusive AI in low- and middle-income countries into coordinated action — with priority public goods, new commitments and partnerships unveiled to help education systems adopt AI-enabled learning safely and effectively. Lea Simpson will represent EdTech Hub’s engagement with the Global AI for Learning Alliance (GAILA).
EdTech Hub team members will also be at other events, and look forward to connecting on the evidence, tools and standards the sector needs to achieve quality, equitable learning for all children.
