The UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education (IITE) gathered its Governing Board (GB) members in Paris, France, this year to hold its 25th Session, which took place on 19 September 2025 at UNESCO Headquarters.
On 18 September, UNESCO Assistant Director-General (ADG) for Education Stefania Giannini met with IITE Governing Board members and IITE staff and delivered the Statement for the 25th Session of the IITE GB. Ms. Giannini expressed appreciation and thanks to Professor Kanwar, the Chair of the IITE GB, and all GB members for their visionary guidance, to the Russian government for its support to the Institute, and to the IITE team for its creative work. She highlighted recent major events organized by UNESCO, including Digital Learning Week on inclusive human-centered futures for AI in education, where five urgent priorities were identified: the AI divide, ethics and safety, the role of teachers, the local context, and solidarity. She emphasized that IITE has a critical role to play in UNESCO’s vision of promoting Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital technologies in education.
On 19 September, Professor Asha Kanwar opened the Governing Board Meeting with her welcoming statement. Professor Kanwar expressed her thanks and appreciation to UNESCO, in particular the ADG for Education, for strong leadership, and to the Russian Government for its continued support to the Institute. She also highlighted three major developments from the past year with important implications for IITE’s future work: the advent of DeepSeek, the rapid adoption of GenAI in the education sector, and new research raising cautionary questions. Mr. Kirill Rynza, Deputy Delegate of the Delegation of Russia to UNESCO, delivered a statement on behalf of the Russian government, expressing appreciation for IITE’s active participation in ICT in education, particularly in promoting Media and Information Literacy (MIL) to support Member States. Mr. Rynza assured that the Russian Federation will continue to support the Institute and fulfil its commitment as the host country of UNESCO IITE. Representative of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation also delivered a statement. Representing UNESCO ADG for Education, Ms. Astrid Gillet and colleagues of the Executive Office of the Education Sector also took part in the discussions. All statements highlighted IITE’s achievements in 2024-2025 and provided proposals and suggestions for the Institute’s programme implementation.
The session continued with reports by Mr. Tao Zhan, IITE Director, the Unit Chiefs, and the Head of the Administrative Office on the activities of the Institute in 2024–2025, programme achievements, financial situation, and ways forward for ongoing and planned projects. All reports were discussed, and recommendations from the Governing Board members were taken into account. A special focus this year was given to the preparation of the IITE Medium-Term Strategy for 2026–2029. The Governing Board members provided profound insights and visionary advice on thematic priorities and implementation of roadmaps. All IITE GB members stressed that IITE had achieved impressive results together with its global partners in supporting Member States, policymakers, teachers, and youth.
In addition to the Governing Board Meeting, GB Members joined the 7th Creativity in Education Summit (CES), organized by the Global Institute of Creative Thinking (GIoCT), IITE, and OECD. IITE GB Members and IITE staff participated in different sessions of the Summit as speakers or moderators.
The Creativity in Education Summit (CES) is an annual event co-organized by GIoCT, OECD, and IITE, initiated by GIoCT. Please visit the CES Summit website for more information.
The IITE Governing Board usually meets at least once a year to define the general policy of the Institute, approve the Programme of Activities and Budget, and provide guidance on its operations.
Members of the IITE Governing Board are appointed by the Director-General of UNESCO on the basis of geographical distribution and gender balance. They are chosen for their eminence in the field and serve in a personal capacity. Currently, the Governing Board of IITE has 11 members, including the Chair and Vice-Chair.
Please see below the list of IITE Governing Board members and Director’s Report.