On 28 April 2015, at a a meeting of the High-level Steering Committee of the UN Global Education First Initiative (GEFI), in Paris, France, UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin and UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova signed a strategic partnership agreement to advance universal access to quality education and address young people's rights and needs.
The new UNFPA-UNESCO strategic partnership aims to tackle educational and health needs concurrently in order to eliminate economic barriers and generate social empowerment for young people. It will:
• Advance universal access to basic quality education and literacy programmes;
• Implement integrated educational approaches and programmes on issues related to population, sexual and reproductive health, gender-based violence and HIV/AIDS;
• Address young people’s rights and needs;
• Build on the role of culture for sustainable development.
The partnership was warmly welcomed by Dr. Osotimehin and Ms. Bokova as a critical step in securing the future of young people in developing countries. “I believe that the developing world can reach the demographic dividend quickly if it invests in appropriate education to take them to a new level," said Dr. Osotimehin.
