In accordance with the important remarks of President Xi Jinping on participating in global governance and promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, and based on the world-renowned achievements of education in Shanghai, the team headed by Professor Zhang Minxuan proposed to the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee and Shanghai Municipal Government in 2015, applying for the establishment of a Teacher Education Centre under the auspices of UNESCO, to participate in global education governance, expand the international influence of Chinese education and enhance national cultural soft power. After application by the government and two years of preparatory work, the 39th General Conference of UNESCO decided to establish a Teacher Education Centre at the Shanghai Normal University by a no-debate vote at its headquarters in Paris in 2017.
In November 2017, the 39th General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) approved the establishment of “Teacher Education Centre under the auspices of UNESCO” (hereinafter referred to as the “Centre”) in Shanghai, China. Following approval from the State Council of the People's Republic of China, an agreement was signed between the Shanghai Municipal Government and UNESCO in September 2020. The Centre commenced its official operations in October 2021, following the inaugural session of its Governing Board.
