INEE is Our Network

Eric Eversmann, Senior Technical Advisor, Education for Catholic Relief Services USA, reflects on INEE’s evolution:

As I write this, the INEE world that descended on Istanbul this past week is winding down. The Global Consultation is over, the task teams have met, the language communities have convened, and the working groups have worked over all the information that came out of the consultation. Only the members of the Steering Group and Secretariat are still going: locked up in a hotel on Istiklal Caddesi, considering all our feedback and priorities.

The meeting’s size and diversity made it hard to identify over-arching themes. Actually, in the end, maybe ‘size’ and ‘diversity’ are the big themes. I was struck by the changes in the network and its members over the past four years. It has grown exponentially and with that growth has come a greater confidence in what it can do, as well as an increasing sense of ownership among the membership – the sense that INEE is first and foremost our network.

There were also more people from different places involved. Governments, youth, researchers and specialists from related fields, such as early childhood development and disaster risk reduction, were all much more in evidence. Their presence served to constantly remind us of the dynamic world of practitioners, partners, colleagues and rights holders alongside whom we work.

In all of these positive developments, there are two things that I think it is important for us to remember. First, that this is our network and therefore the burden of energy and effort to move forward those things that we are passionate about rests primarily with us. Putting forward our ideas at the Global Consultation is one thing, but following up on them is another. The second is that we are strongest when we work together. This requires us to focus and find consensus around our priorities in order to continue to be effective.

For the Minimum Standards, the INEE initiative that I have worked most closely with, the lessons from the global consultation will be a key part of the work going forward. The update of the standards will be strengthened by including the wide range of actors who attended the global consultation. At the same time, it will require focus and the continued engagement of us all.

In the coming months, look for an online questionnaire to contribute your recommendations for the update of the Minimum Standards. And if you are interested in staying engaged, think about joining one of the reference groups, which will lead the update in key areas such as gender. I will be there and also thinking of what amazing part of the INEE world I want to be part of next.

Edited to add: The INEE Minimum Standards Update Online Consultation has now been launched. Click here to add your voice.