World Teacher’s Day 2024
On 5 October 2024, the IAU joined the global education community at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris to celebrate International Teachers’ Day 2024. This year’s observance held special significance as it was coupled with the award ceremony of the UNESCO-Hamdan Prize for Teacher Development, a prestigious biennial prize supported by the Hamdan Foundation.
The IAU was proud to support the nomination of Robert Didham and the team at the Centre for Collaborative Learning for Sustainable Development at IAU Member University of Inland Norway (INN), one of ten finalists for the 2024 UNESCO-Hamdan Prize.
A Promising Innovation in Teacher Development
The University of Inland Norway’s initiative was recognized for its outstanding contribution to mainstreaming Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) through active learning methodologies. The project focuses on empowering teachers by:
Building capacity in ESD pedagogies through practical, participatory approaches,
Equipping educators and learners alike with real-world problem-solving skills, and
Providing holistic toolkits to integrate sustainability into everyday learning.
To date, the initiative has trained 10,000 educators and distributed over 120,000 toolkits worldwide, scaling its impact across diverse educational contexts.
Recognizing Teachers as Drivers of Change
International Teachers’ Day 2024 served as a powerful reminder of the critical role teachers play in shaping the future of learners and communities. The theme of this year’s celebration—focused on the importance of teacher development—resonates deeply with IAU’s commitment to advancing inclusive, quality, and values-based education through leadership, capacity-building, and global collaboration.
About the UNESCO-Hamdan Prize
Established in 2008 and awarded every two years, the UNESCO-Hamdan Prize for Teacher Development recognizes innovative practices and outstanding contributions that enhance the effectiveness of teaching and learning. The 2024 prize cycle received numerous submissions from around the world, with ten finalists honored for their groundbreaking work.
IAU's Continued Engagement
The IAU remains committed to supporting educators, institutions, and initiatives that place sustainability and equity at the heart of learning. Celebrating transformative teaching practices like those of INN underscores the need to elevate the status of teachers and ensure they have the resources, training, and recognition they deserve.
On this International Teachers’ Day, we honour not only the finalists but all educators worldwide who continue to inspire, adapt, and lead in times of transformation.
