ALE and lifelong learning are found in many of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – sometimes explicitly, several times implicitly. Consequently, in my view, a huge window of opportunity has opened up for ALE advocacy. Lifelong learning in the Post-2015 development agenda As negotiations over the Post-2015 development agenda ensued, support for a stand-alone goal on education, while initially uncertain, proved to be substantial. The background brief submitted to the 4th session of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals (OWG) in June 2013 re- ferred to education as “a fundamental human right and the bedrock of sustainable development”, and gave examples of its impact on a range of social, economic and political outcomes2 (Wulff 2018). Public support for education’s inclusion in the emergent agenda was also widespread. In 2013, the UN conducted a series of “global conversations”. The one on education en- gaged nearly 2 million people in 88 countries. The UN also launched the MY World survey, asking people which global policy priorities mattered most to them and their families. By December 2014, more than 7 million people had responded and overwhelmingly chose “a good education” and “better healthcare” as top priorities (UN 2014). Once the broad international support for education was established, the next question became what kinds of “edu- cation” would the international community agree to in its education goal? Support for quality primary education was strong, but the priority of other levels and types of education was unclear. Some saw consensus only possible around a slightly enlarged goal of universal completion of basic edu- cation, to which learning targets would be added. Others sought agreement in broadening the nature and scope of global education priorities (Wulff 2018). The end result came as a surprise to many. The final formulation of the education Goal and 10 targets (SDG4) represented an unprecedented vision of education and life- long learning (Wulff 2018). SDG4 draws on, but goes signi- ficantly beyond, all previous international commitments to and targets in education. It prioritises early childhood, uni- versal completion of primary and secondary education, and equal access to post-secondary education. It focuses on relevant learning outcomes, including foundational skills and others for rapidly-shifting labour markets. It promotes access for marginalised populations, and it highlights values and be- haviour that foster gender equality, global citizenship and environmental protection. The strength of the proposed goal derived, in part, from the many ties that education was perceived (or known) to have with other SDGs. The new development agenda – de- signed to be universal, indivisible and interlinked – encour- aged integrated policies and intersectoral planning (Persaud 2017). Given this vision, a broad impactful Goal on education was a snug fit. After years of intense negotiation, 193 UN member states adopted the Sustainable Development Agenda, with its 17 SDGs and 169 targets, on 25 September 2015. In addition to the expanded vision of education articulated in SDG4, the other 16 SDGs included numerous direct and indirect refer- ences to education, including ALE (ISCU and ISSC 2015). As John Oxenham noted: “Each of the 17 Goals has a set of targets, and each set has at least one target that deals with or implies learning, training, educating or at the very least raising awareness for one or more groups of adults. Goals 3 [health], 5 [women], 8 [economy], 9 [infrastructure], 12 [con- sumption] and 13 [climate] especially include targets that im- ply substantial learning for ranges of adults – and organised, programmatic learning at that” (Rogers 2016: 10). The impact of education on many SDGs is also apparent in two other ways (UNESCO 2016: 368ff). First, by disaggre- gating SDG indicators by education levels, the potentially sa- lient ties between education (or more educated adults) and various development outcomes becomes overt, often con- firming longstanding research. Second, progress in the 2030 Agenda depends on utilising education to build capacity in countries. Improvements in health and sanitation services, agricultural productivity, climate change mitigation and crime reduction are contingent on training professionals and edu- cated workers who can implement policies, lead information campaigns, and communicate with targeted communities. So near, and yet so far If adult learning and education is so strongly present in the SDGs, all is well, right? Well, not quite, as the following con- tradictions show. Contradiction one Although SDG4 formally recognises lifelong learning, still policy and political realities remain focused on the trans- formative power of schooling children and youth, and pro- moting foundational skills. Never before has the notion of “lifelong learning oppor- tunities for all” been articulated as an international develop- ment priority. Lifelong learning comprises all learning activities, from the cradle to retirement and beyond, undertaken with the aim of improving knowledge, skills and competences, within personal, civic, social and employment-related per- spectives (UIL 2015). Lifelong learning involves multiple and flexible learning pathways, entry and re-entry points at differ- ent ages, and strengthened links between formal and non- formal structures (see Figure 1). And yet, despite this recognition of lifelong learning, progress in formal education, up to and including tertiary ed- ucation, remains at SDG4’s core. Increasing access to pre- primary education, ensuring universal completion of primary and secondary education leading to relevant learning, and making technical, vocational and higher education available and affordable, garner the most attention. The means to do so – improving facilities, creating effective learning environ- ments, increasing the supply of qualified teachers – are also prioritised. 85 2018 Role and Impact 5