3: Two Landmark Policy Texts of Lifelong Learning: The Faure Report as Foundation Stone and the Delors Report as Architectural Blueprint

In line with Chapter 2, this chapter places special emphasis on two landmark policy texts of lifelong learning, known as the Faure Report (1972) and the Delors Report (1996) from UNESCO. The Faure Report, also known as “Learning to Be: The World of Education Today and Tomorrow,” has been regarded as a foundational text on lifelong learning. The Delors Report, also known as “Learning: The Treasure Within,” has been singled out as one of UNESCO's most important policy texts. Given the significance of these two policy texts in UNESCO's intellectual history, this chapter explores the contemporary legitimacy and legacy of the two documents in lifelong learning policy discourses through in-depth text analysis. Coupled with the text analysis, this chapter also delineates the historical specificity in which each text was produced. In summary, by revisiting the two policy documents from a comparative perspective, the chapter aims to critically explore the legitimacy and legacy of each policy text in terms of whether they are still valid and relevant to contemporary policy conversations on lifelong learning beyond their historical specificity.