The Learning Planet Institute (LPI), founded by François Taddei almost 20 years ago, has just been officially designated a Category 2 institute under the auspices of UNESCO, at the end of the 43rd General Conference of the Organization.
This international recognition marks almost twenty years of commitment to transforming education worldwide, with and for young people, with a view to training learners to meet major global challenges.
Category 2 institutes are a worldwide network of top-quality establishments, privileged partners of the’UNESCO. This status confers on LPI a reference role in the fields of pedagogical innovation, learning sciences and educational transformation, while enhancing its visibility among the 193 member states, academic institutions and major international organizations.
This new status changes several very concrete things for the Learning Planet Institute.
Firstly, it officially registers LPI in UNESCO's international network of partner institutes: a select circle of organizations recognized for their expertise, which contribute directly to UNESCO's priorities and major global programs (such as, in particular, the Sustainable Development Objectives). Like all Category 2 Institutes, LPI remains legally and financially autonomous, but now benefits from a formal institutional cooperation framework with UNESCO: participation in joint projects, access to intergovernmental networks, training, research and consultancy opportunities with member states.
This designation will enable LPI to increase the impact and global reach of its activities., Category 2 Institutes will benefit from enhanced recognition, greater international visibility and the possibility of spreading their methodologies, tools and educational programs more widely throughout the network of 193 member states. Category 2 Institutes are also expected to mobilize and disseminate UNESCO's expertise, These include aligning their activities with the priorities of the United Nations, participating in the development of new resources, organizing international training courses and supporting educational decision-makers.
This status also enables LPI to strengthen its ties with the French government. By hosting a Category 2 institute, France becomes the host country for a global center of excellence in education, opening up access to specific funding programs, international institutions based in France, government-led scientific and educational cooperation schemes, and public-private partnerships of international scope.
This appointment comes at a symbolic time for the Institute, as it celebrates its 20 years of existence in 2026 and is preparing to launch the Learning Planet Academy, an international program whose aim is to train learners not only to be the best, but also to be the best at what they do. IN the world, but FOR the world and empower them to become citizens of the planet.
Tiffany IKIA DIMI - tiffany.ikiadimi@econovia.fr - 06 15 44 98 74
Ludovic BAYLE - ludovic.bayle@econovia.fr - 06 29 65 39 53
