World Teachers’ Day 2026 was observed on October 5, marking the 60th anniversary of the 1966 ILO-UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers. It is the first international standard on teachers’ rights, responsibilities, training and working conditions.

UNESCO set this year’s theme as ‘Standing with teachers: 60 years of protecting the profession, advancing its status and shaping our futures’. The day has been observed annually since 1994.

The global celebration took place at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, jointly convened with the ILO, UNICEF and Education International. It included the award ceremony for the ninth UNESCO-Hamdan Prize for Teacher Development.

UNESCO says new challenges have emerged since 1966, from digital technologies and climate change to inclusion, migration and displacement. It splits the idea of status into symbolic, professional and material layers.

Education International is calling on governments to protect the profession amid teacher shortages, attacks on public education and growing pressures on educators worldwide.