4 - SDG 4: Ensure Inclusive and Equitable Quality Education and Promote Lifelong Learning Opportunities for All

This chapter analyzes Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, Quality Education, by comparing its content to the standards of international law – in particular, human rights law and trade law. It focuses on the added value of SDG 4 for the further development of the right to education in international law and in relation to international institutions. It analyzes three themes: the existence of an international body of law on education; education as a public good versus education as a commodity; and the need to regulate the conduct of private actors in education. SDG 4 and the Education 2030 Framework for Action politically reaffirm the legal obligations that states have under human rights treaties. International human rights law, in general, and the right to education, in particular, have paved the way for a strong implementation of SDG 4 at the domestic and international level through a human rights–informed approach.