A vital impulse to the international learning festivals' movement was rendered by the Fifth International UNESCO Conference on adult education (CONFINTEA V, 1997), which was based on the slogan Adult learning - the key to the 21st century. In its strategic documents - the Hamburg declaration on the future of adult education and the related Action plan - the topic of promoting the culture of learning was addressed for the first time. UN member states were given the recommendation to organise Adult Learners' Weeks (ALWs) and similar learning festivals (LFs).

In November 1999, the resolution of the UNESCO General Conference introduced the concept of International Adult Learners' Week (IALW) and connected it to the International Literacy day (8 September). The first edition of the International Adult Learners' Week took place at the solemn opening of the world exposition Expo 2000 in Hannover. In the following years, further international events have been organised under the coordination of the Unesco Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) in order to raise the visibility and importance of the international learning festivals' movement:

• Brussels, Belgium (2001): meeting of national coordinators from European countries and evaluation of the European learning festivals;
• São Paulo, Brazil (2002): meeting of national coordinators from different world regions as a constituent part of the Third Brazilian Literacy Week;
• Bangkok, Thailand (2003): International Adult Learners' Week (IALW) linked to the CONFINTEA V Midterm Review;
• Cape Town, South Africa (2004): International Adult Learners' Week (IALW) in connection with the South African ALW and the conference Adult education and literacy for democracy and active citizenship;
• Oslo, Norway (2005): International Adult Learners' Week (IALW) linked to the Norwegian ALW and the international conference Education for all in the era of growing mobility: implications for adult education;
• Manchester, United Kingdom (2007): International Adult Learners' Week (IALW) conference on the main topic Reviewing a Global Advocacy Network on the Way Towards CONFINTEA VI;
• Edinburgh, United Kingdom (April 2009): 'A time for learning: Paving the way for CONFINTEA VI: The voice of learners' conference;
• Belem, Brasil (December 2009), at the CONFINTEA VI conference, the IALW movement with emphasis on the learners' voice was discussed in workshop 3.2.