nclusion International welcomes the publication of UNESCO’s latest Global Education Monitoring Report (GEMR), 2025 Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia report, Lead for inclusion, focusing on leadership in inclusive education across Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia.

This report builds on previous GEM reports on inclusion and leadership, highlighting good examples from the region. Notably, it makes a clear link between inclusion and quality education. While inclusion is considered broadly, there is a strong focus on including learners with disabilities.

The report makes four key recommendations for strengthening leadership in inclusive education:

  • Leadership for inclusion thrives on collaboration.
  • School leaders need better preparation to promote inclusion.
  • School leaders need to be recruited with inclusion in mind.
  • School leaders need to be trusted and empowered to promote inclusion.

Speaking at the report’s launch, João Costa, Director of the European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education, outlined key elements of successful inclusive systems:

Inclusive systems focus on preventative measures, not remediation. They build on students’ strengths. They adopt a whole-school approach. They reject standardization.

The report is an important recognition from UNESCO that leadership is essential to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4—ensuring inclusive, equitable, and quality education for all. However, it leaves several of the recommendations of Inclusion International’s background paper Lead to Include open.

While Lead for Inclusion provides valuable guidance, leadership for inclusive education is still an understudied area that requires further research and action.