Interview of the Month First United Nations Forum on Minority Issues: "Minorities and the Right to Education" On July 29, 2005 Professor Gay McDougall, was appointed by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, as the first holder of the position of Independent Expert on minority issues. A human rights lawyer, Ms McDougall served as an Independent Expert on the UN treaty body that oversees the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), and on the UN Sub-Commission on Promotion and Protection of Human Rights. More Upcoming Events United Nations Literacy Decade Symposium January 26-28 A technical consultation aims to underscore the importance of strategy as countries move into the second half of the United Nations Literacy Decade. Pedagogy Congress 2009, Cuba January 26-30 Teachers and education experts gather in Havana this month for the 11th annual Pedagogy Congress. UNESCO at the 2009 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland 28 January - 1 February The Forum will focus on ‘Shaping the Post-Crisis World’ and gather over 40 heads of State and Government and over 2,500 participants from the business, political and cultural communities. India: preparatory regional conference on higher education, February 25-26 The meeting in India will examine crucial issues such as access, equity, financing, governance, quality assurance and social responsibility of higher education. News Roundup “Keep the Promise” was the message for World AIDS Day December 1 UNESCO offices from Almaty to Yaoundé organized a wide range of activities, building on the theme of ‘leadership’ and the Organization's longstanding work on HIV and AIDS International Day of Persons with Disabilities - 3 December UNESCO education specialist Kenneth Eklindh talks about the evolution in thinking about teaching people with disabilities and how inclusion benefits everyone Budapest CONFINTEA December 3-5 Adama Ouane, director of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, answers questions on the CONFINTEA VI Regional Preparatory Conference for Europe, North America and Israel. Roundup of Human Rights Day commemoration December 10 A round table discussion examined how best to embed human rights education in education systems and classrooms First United Nations Forum on Minority Issues, Geneva, December 15-16 People from minority groups all over the world bore witness to their struggle for equal access to education at this groundbreaking forum Eighth High Level Group meeting on Education For All December 16-17 Global financial meltdown means we must intensify our efforts concludes High Level Group The importance of investing in adult education and Learning, January 5-7 CONFINTEA VI Preparatory Conference in Tunis Stresses Investment in Adult Learning, January 5-7 The Global Education Digest 2008 The Global Education Digest 2008 presents the latest available data for more than 200 countries and territories.