Paris, 27 April 2000 {2000-41} - The English-language version of the World Education Report 2000, the fifth in UNESCO's biennial series, has just been published. The Report's theme is the right to education, a right proclaimed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 (Article 26).

The first chapter of the 178-page report presents an overview of the commitments made by the international community over the last half century so as to make the right to education a reality: international treaties, declarations, recommendations and programmes of action.

The three other chapters review major trends in education over recent decades: Chapter 2 is devoted to basic education, Chapter 3 to secondary and tertiary education, as well as lifelong education, while Chapter 4 looks at the purposes and contents of education. The Report thus completes the Education for All 2000 Assessment conducted as part of the follow-up to the Jomtien Conference of 1990 when the international community pledged to work in favour of basic education for all.

The Report's appendices include a detailed account on the work that led up to the drafting of Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, world education indicators with country-by-country statistical data on key aspects of education, summary tables by major world regions and a complete list of UNESCO education reports, publications and periodicals published in recent years.

UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura today presented the World Education Report 2000, The Right to Education - Towards Education for All Throughout Life to the press in Dakar, Senegal, where the World Education Forum is currently taking place (April 26 to 28). In his introduction to the Report, Mr Matsuura declares: "Education is both a human right and a vital means of promoting peace and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms generally. If its potential to contribute towards building a more peaceful world is to be realised, education must be made universally available and equally accessible to all."

To purchase the World Education Report 2000 contact:
UNESCO Publishing, Promotion and Sales Division,
1 rue Miollis, 75732 Paris, Cedex 15, FRANCE.
Fax: + 33 (0)1 45 68 57 41.
(Price: 150FRF or US$25, add 30FRF or US$6 for postage)