The Learning Passport, UNICEF's digital learning programme, reaches over 10 million
Children, young people and educators supported by programme
NEW YORK, 25 MARCH 2025 – UNICEF announced their award-winning digital education programme, the Learning Passport, has reached more than 10 million registered users, including children, young people and educators, across 47 countries.
With over 251 million children worldwide, including 122 million girls, remaining out of school and millions more facing barriers to accessing quality education, UNICEF is working with partners to scale innovative tech-solutions and empower future generations with equitable access to education.
The Learning Passport is a UNICEF-developed programme, powered by Microsoft Community Training, which provides continuous access to digital early childhood education, primary and secondary education. The Learning Passport serves as the technical and digital backbone for several other programmes including Passport to Earning (P2E) an initiative by UNICEF’s Generation Unlimited, which supplements adolescent learning with technical and vocational education to prepare young people as they transition into a digitally powered and rapidly changing world of work.
The Learning Passport offers both online and offline capabilities, making it a vital resource in regions with little or no internet connectivity, including in emergencies. In crisis-affected contexts, the Learning Passport supports children to continue learning despite conflict, displacement, and disasters. From refugee settings in Lebanon and Poland to conflict-affected regions in Myanmar and Sudan, the programme provides vital access to learning for children who need it most.
“The digital era has unlocked extraordinary opportunities for tackling the education crisis,” said Pia Rebello Britto, Global Director, Education and Adolescent Development at UNICEF.
“Thanks to a strong network of collaborators, the Learning Passport was one of the first tools to address school disruptions during COVID-19 and continues to be an innovative solutions providing quality learning to the most vulnerable children and young people, including those in the hardest-to-reach places.”
Launched in 2018, through founding partnerships with Microsoft and the University of Cambridge and Cambridge University Press & Assessment, the Learning Passport is currently supported by existing partners including Sony Group Corporation and new partners Adyen and Hapag-Lloyd, among others. Together, these partnerships are strengthening the Learning Passport’s ability to ensure that all children, especially the most marginalized, can learn and be skilled in a digital world.
“It is critical that children and youth are not left behind in a rapidly changing digital landscape,” said Mitsu Shippee, Senior General Manager, Sony Group Corporation.
“In 2020, Sony started its support for the Learning Passport during COVID-19 through the ‘Sony Global Relief Fund for COVID-19', helping to expand its reach when education systems were disrupted worldwide. Since then, we have continued to support its effort—to enhance content delivery, strengthen offline learning capabilities, and improve emergency responses. We remain committed to working with UNICEF to ensure every child, regardless of their circumstances, has access to inclusive, high-quality learning opportunities—now and for the next generation.”
This commitment to overcoming barriers and creating lasting opportunities for vulnerable children is critical to ensuring UNICEF and partners unlock the transformative power of education.
“Education is the most powerful solution to poverty and conflict.” said Jane Mann, Managing Director, Partnership for Education & Director of Education, Cambridge University Press & Assessment.
“When barriers to learning persist, so too do cycles of disadvantage. The Learning Passport is disrupting these cycles by breaking down barriers and providing the world’s most vulnerable children with the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive”
Launched in 2021, Passport to Earning leverages a digital platform to provide free, quality, job-relevant skills to better position young people to access advanced skilling, employment, and entrepreneurship opportunities. By 2027, through the support of Passport to Earning Core Partners Accenture, Microsoft, Dubai Cares and Global Affairs Canada, P2E aims to train and certify 8 million youth, in AI and digital skilling.
“Our partnership with UNICEF began with the launch of the groundbreaking digital learning initiative, the Learning Passport, to ensure every child has access to quality education, regardless of where they live or their circumstances. The Learning Passport embodies this commitment and reaching this milestone is a testament to the transformative power of digital education in the lives of young people," said Kate Behncken, Corporate Vice President and Global Lead, Microsoft Philanthropies.
"In 2021, we built on that partnership with Generation Unlimited, creating a continuum of education to employment through Passport to Earning, ensuring that young people have the opportunities and skills needed to secure livelihoods and thrive in an AI-powered economy. The foundational achievements of the Learning Passport and Passport to Earning have significantly advanced our goal to provide expanded education opportunities to young people around the world.”
"Young people are entering a dramatically evolving workforce. With Generative AI reshaping the future of work, every young person no matter their location or background needs the skills and opportunities to thrive in this new AI-powered world. This can be done only through intentional collaboration among governments, companies, the UN, civil society, and youth,” said Kevin Frey, CEO, UNICEF's Public-Private-Youth Partnership Generation Unlimited.
Partners who want to shape the future with UNICEF can visit: unicef.org/future
About UNICEF
UNICEF, the United Nations agency for children, works to protect the rights of every child, everywhere, especially the most disadvantaged children and in the toughest places to reach. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we do whatever it takes to help children survive, thrive, and fulfil their potential.
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