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World Teachers' Day, held annually on October 5th since 1994, commemorates teachers’ organizations worldwide. Its aim is to mobilize support for teachers and to ensure that the needs of future generations will continue to be met by teachers.

“A Call for Teachers!” is the slogan of World Teachers’ Day 2013, which UNESCO is celebrating along with its partners, the International Labour Organization (ILO), UNDP, UNICEF and Education International (EI).

Since teachers are the most powerful force for equity, access and quality education, a call for teachers means calling for quality education for all.

Quality education offers hope and the promise of a better standard of living. There is no stronger foundation for lasting peace and sustainable development than a quality education provided by well trained, valued, supported and motivated teachers.

There is a huge shortage of professional, well-trained and well-supported teachers to achieve better quality education. The challenge of recruiting teachers does not lie just in the numbers, but in the provision of quality teachers. Far too often teachers remain under-qualified, poorly paid and with low status.

At UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, the focus of the 2013 World Teachers’ Day celebration on 4 October was on tackling the teacher gap, barriers to better quality education and teachers’ role in developing globally-minded citizens.