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| | Conference “The United States, UNESCO and Education for All”, at Georgetown University, Washington DC
02-03-2005 - On 28 February 2005, the Director-General, Koïchiro Matsuura, opened the one-day conference “The United States, UNESCO and Education for All” at Georgetown University, Washington, DC, in conjunction with the President of the University, Mr. John DeGioia. Keynote opening speaker was Mrs. Laura Bush, First Lady of the United States, who was followed by US Education Secretary Margaret Spellings. |
The Director-General outlined the main challenges facing Education for All (EFA), the leading role of UNESCO in the EFA drive and UNESCO’s desire to broaden the partnership base of EFA by engaging the private sector. The overall purpose of the conference was to explore the role that colleges and universities in the United States could play in achieving the goals of EFA, a challenge that is at the very heart of UNESCO’s work.
“This conference,” said the Director-General, “is an important opportunity for UNESCO and the American higher education community to renew their acquaintance. I firmly believe that we have many areas of common interest, but I am particularly pleased that this first major rendezvous between us is focused on EFA. This is, by far and away, the highest priority on the world’s education agenda. The key outcome I seek is your commitment, expressed in actions and programmes, to help developing countries overcome the obstacles they face in the area of basic education. I believe that the vibrant civil society of the United States – the only superpower, a country that has built its progress on educational foundations – can do more, much more, to help less fortunate countries achieve their educational goals.”
Director-General Matsuura also spoke of his wish “that the American higher education community takes the global challenge of EFA to its heart” and that “UNESCO stands ready to facilitate this process of engagement.”
In introducing the keynote speaker, the Director-General thanked her for her contributions to education in the United States and for serving as the UNESCO Honorary Ambassador for the Decade of Literacy.
“Mrs. Bush clearly has a strong commitment to education, and I think that this has deep roots in her love of children, her love of books and her passionate belief in the power of learning to change lives for the better. UNESCO, the specialized United Nations agency for education, recognizes a kindred spirit in the First Lady,” said Director-General Matsuura.
In her remarks, Mrs. Bush praised UNESCO’s role in EFA and its actions in different parts of the world. She encouraged the American higher education community to work with the Organization to fight against illiteracy and to spread the benefits of basic education in developing countries.
“Educational research,” she said, “has made great strides in the last two decades. We now have a better understanding of how people at different stages of life – young children, teenagers and adults – respond to different methods of teaching. The United States is investing in educational research that is already improving our success in teaching people to read. We are eager to share the benefits of this research with UNESCO and with educators around the world, and to learn from research that’s done in other countries.” She added, “American colleges and universities have a unique opportunity to help UNESCO meet its goals of advancing literacy, training teachers and using education and science to fight HIV/AIDS.”
After the opening speakers, the conference continued with a series of panels and working groups, the first of which was led by UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education Designate Dr Peter Smith, who presented thoughts and ideas for UNESCO to advance the EFA goals. Other topics explored by the conference included networks such as UNESCO Chairs, challenges to achieving the EFA goals, and the tools and methods for measuring progress.
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Flash Info n°035-2005
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