Public–private partnership advances Regional Observatory on Artificial Intelligence in Education led by UNESCO

At UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, a public-private partnership round table was held on 23 March 2026, bringing together more than 50 stakeholders from the education ecosystem to advance the creation of the first Observatory on Artificial Intelligence in Education for Latin America and the Caribbean.

The meeting was led by Valtencir Mendes, Head of Education at the UNESCO Regional Office in Santiago, and brought together major technology companies, universities, foundations and organisations with investments in Latin America and the Caribbean, including Tecnológico de Monterrey, the University of Development (UDD), Santillana and CAF - Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, among other regional representatives.

Entities such as the Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br, Brazil), the National Center for Artificial Intelligence (CENIA, Chile) and ECLAC also joined the initiative, contributing technical capacities, research and experience in integrating these technologies into education.

The region is currently facing significant challenges in foundational learning, particularly in areas such as Reading and Mathematics. In this context, the emergence of artificial intelligence in education systems represents a key opportunity to strengthen teaching and learning processes. Its integration, however, requires evidence, clear guidance and capacity development to ensure its effective, ethical and inclusive use.

The initiative led by UNESCO seeks to go beyond isolated projects. It is conceived as a regional infrastructure aimed at generating knowledge, strengthening the capacities of teachers and decision-makers, and promoting the exchange of experiences regarding the appropriate integration of AI in education. In this context, the initiative continues to bring in strategic partners in order to consolidate a regional collaboration network capable of contributing knowledge, experience and technical capacities to the development of the Observatory.

Latin America and the Caribbean thus face a strategic opportunity to build their own vision for the use of artificial intelligence in education, based on principles of equity, cooperation and regional relevance. In this regard, "UNESCO calls on stakeholders from all sectors to join this collective effort, which seeks to place innovation at the service of learning and the future of education," said Mendes.

The official launch of this initiative will take place on 14 April 2026 at the headquarters of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in Santiago, Chile, marking a new step in bringing together capacities, experiences and commitments around a shared regional agenda.