Open Journal of Social Sciences, 2020, 8, 103-112 https://www.scirp.org/journal/jss ISSN Online: 2327-5960 ISSN Print: 2327-5952 DOI: 10.4236/jss.2020.83010 Mar. 10, 2020 103 Open Journal of Social Sciences Influence of UNESCO in the Development of Lifelong Learning Jarin Akther Lecturer, Institute of Education and Research, University of Chittagong, Chittagong, Bangladesh Abstract The concept of lifelong learning has been retrieved from a gradual transition of lifelong education. UNESCO as an international organisation has a signifi- cant role and contribution in promoting lifelong learning around the world. This study is aiming to look over the historical change of the concept of “life- long education” to “lifelong learning”, and UNESCO’s influence and position on the changes within the context of developed and developing countries. This is historical research, which will describe the historical moments regard- ing lifelong learning and UNESCO’s contribution. The study has found that the new form of global economy (neo-liberalism and capitalist approach) has cre- ated the need for individual’s employment, which has influenced the transi- tional change of the lifelong learning concept. It has also found that UNESCO’s influence and contribution are much more significant in developing or low- income countries while it has less of an impact on developed countries. Keywords Lifelong Education, Lifelong Learning, UNESCO, Developed Countries and Developing Countries “Life is limited, while learning is limitless.” —Confucius 1. Introduction Lifelong learning comprises all the phases of learning from pre-school to postre- tirement including all spectrums of learning (Laal, 2011). Different countries have different policies for promoting lifelong learning. Industrialised and devel- oped countries support lifelong learning by providing the opportunity to de- How to cite this paper: Akther, J. (2020). Influence of UNESCO in the Development of Lifelong Learning. Open Journal of So- cial Sciences, 8, 103-112. https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2020.83010 Received: February 4, 2020 Accepted: March 7, 2020 Published: March 10, 2020 Copyright © 2020 by author(s) and Scientific Research Publishing Inc. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY 4.0). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Open Access