In the News
'Education for All' Leaders Agree Partnership is Key to Achieving Goals
- 06 November 2010
More powerful messages and reinforced cooperation within countries are keys to increasing political commitment to education, said chiefs and top representatives of the Education for All convening agencies at a meeting led by UNESCO’s Director-General Irina Bokova at the United Nations.
From left to right: Thoraya Obaid, Executive Director, UNFPA; Helen Clark, Administrator, UNDP; Ms Bokova; Tamar Manuelyan Atinc, Vice President for Human Development, The World Bank; Carol Bellamy, Chair of the Board of Directors, Education for All – Fast Track Initiative (EFA-FTI); Saad Houry, Deputy Executive Director, UNICEF.
“The recent Millennium Summit created increased momentum for education. It highlighted the importance of equity, quality and the critical role of girls’ education,” said Irina Bokova. “Now is the time for concerted action to put education at the center of development.”
Participants from UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF and the World Bank discussed “entry points” for making education more prominent on political agendas, drawing particular attention to health, jobs, livelihoods and poverty eradication.
UNDP’s Administrator Helen Clark advised that advocacy should highlight the role of education in building stability in fragile countries through equipping young people with skills for work. UNFPA’s Executive Director Thoraya Obaid stressed the impact of education on young people’s health and well-being, especially that of adolescent girls.
Read the full story from UNESCOPRESS
