The Education Leaders Forum aims to create a venue for government leaders and opinion makers in education to share their insights, perspectives and experiences. The forum will focus on 'Success and Sustainability: Tertiary Education’s Global Challenge'. Each session during the forum will explore the issues and propose innovative solutions for success and sustainability of tertiary education in the 21st century.

The forum that will be opened by UNESCO Director-General, Koïchiro Matsuura, will feature eminent speakers including US Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings, and EU Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Youth, Jan Figel.

The Forum will conclude with a joint report that summarises recommended approaches for using technology to improve access, quality, relevance and economic opportunity through tertiary education, in order to meet the challenges of our fast-changing world.

This event is organized within the framework of the partnership between UNESCO and Microsoft that aims at drawing on ICTs to improve education and social and economic development worldwide.