PROMOTING THE QUALITY AND PERTINENCE OF EDUCATION — GLOBAL CHALLENGES, NEW EDUCATIONS

1993 International Foundation on AIDS Research and Prevention created by UNESCO and the Institut Pasteur, Paris 1994 International Conference on Population and Development, United Nations, Cairo Environmental and Population Education and Information for Human Development project (EPD) launched, UNESCO, Paris Management of Social Transformations (MOST), intergovernmental programme launched by UNESCO 1995 World Summit for Social Development, Copenhagen Declaration and Action Plan (Commitment 6) 1996 Publication of Caring for the Future, Report of the Independent Commission on Population and Quality of Life, chaired by Ms Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo UNESCO joins UNAIDS

THE SEMEP PROJECT (South-Eastern Mediterranean Sea Project) SEMEP is part of UNESCO’s action in the Mediterranean region, promoting exchange and co-operation among its Member States in the fields of education, science, culture, communication and social sciences. Various projects co- ordinated by UNESCO in these fields have already started, or are about to be launched. For example, a similar UNESCO educational activity is to be developed in the western part of the Mediterranean. In November 1994, a number of Ministers of the Environment in Mediterranean countries attended a conference in Tunis on the theme ‘MED21’ geared to sustainable development in the Mediterranean. The conference defined objectives to be reached in the Mediterranean region within the framework of the Agenda 21 mandate given to the international community by the UN General Assembly (1992). Many of the actions that SEMEP would like to undertake in the region follow directions related to the decisions taken at this conference. The impact of major environmental disasters and their economic consequences are felt in countries around the Mediterranean Sea. Some of the problems of public concern, which create an increasing demand for more and better information, include water (sea, river, lake) pollution, air pollution, forest destruction, urbanization and overpopulation in cities with all the inherent side effects (transportation, industries inside towns and cities), destruction of the natural environment (fauna, flora, etc.) waste disposal. The demand for information can lead to personal and societal discussions that affect the living environment and the quality of daily life. SEMEP is based on successful UNESCO projects, such as the Baltic Sea, Blue Danube River and Chernobyl. As such, SEMEP is an education project addressing teachers, students and, through them, their communities. It is an interdisciplinary and holistic project for general, technical and vocational education through environmental awareness and understanding. But SEMEP is more than just another curriculum initiative. It aims at interrelating education, geared to both the natural and social environment, with cultural values. SEMEP is expected to create synergy among the participating countries for co-operation, exchange and production of materials intended for teachers, students, teacher trainers, policy-makers, researchers, etc., and the organization of workshops, symposia, meetings, publication of SEMEP actions through newsletters and other information channels such as the development of electronic links, via computers in schools and elsewhere, for the transfer of information and communication of ideas. SEMEP will establish links with the Foundation for Environmental Education in Europe (FEEE) which is a Non-Governmental Organization running interrelated school projects in the area of environmental education through a system of national project officers, e.g. Young Reporters of the environment. SEMEP links with the International Council of Associations for Science Education (ICASE), an umbrella NGO for science and technology education worldwide and which, alongside UNESCO, is an initiator of Project 2000+ for the enhancement of scientific and technological literacy for all. Through ICASE, SEMEP will link with national professional teacher associations in the Mediterranean countries. UNESCO Newsletter, No. 1. 1996, Foreword by Colin N. Power, Assistant Director-General for Education.

1995 Copenhagen Declaration on Social development Commitment 6 At international level we will [...] Request the specialized agencies, notably the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the World Health Organization, as well as other international organizations dedicated to the promotion of education, culture and health, to give greater emphasis to the overriding goals of eradicating poverty, promoting full and productive employ-ment and fostering social integration; Strengthen intergovernmental organizations that utilize various forms of education to promote culture; disseminate information through education and communication media; help spread the use of technologies; and promote technical and professional training and scientific research.	Gro Harlem Brundtland Prime Minister of Norway from 1990 to 1996 Women’s education is the single most important path to higher productivity, lower infant mortality and lower fertility. The economic returns on investment in women’s education are generally comparable to those for men, but the social returns in terms of health and fertility by far exceed what we gain from men’s education. Report of the International Conference on Population and Development, Cairo, 1994 Luc Montagnier (France) Director of research at the CNRS and member of the Academy of Medicine, directs a research unit at the ‘Institut Pasteur’ It would be quite disastrous to take the attitude that since the problem is ‘bearable’ in our countries, we can ignore what is going on in the South. [...] Besides elementary solidarity with the disadvantaged populations of the planet, it is also in our own interests that we help them. In: Des virus et des hommes, Editions Odile Jacob, Paris, 1994 International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century Learning is not only a question of acquiring basic skills – reading, writing, oral expression, arithmetic – but also of gaining a knowledge of the world in which we live to better cope with question such as primary health care, family planning and agricultural know-how. Quoted in Education International, September 1996
TO KNOW MORE (see also CD-ROM, vol. I)

                               

FOOTNOTES:

TO KNOW MORE (see also CD-ROM, Vol. I)

1. Drugs Demystified. Helen Nowlis, Paris, UNESCO, 1975. (Arabic, English, French, Spanish)
2. Intergovernmental Conference on Environmental Education. Tbilisi, Georgia, 14-26 October 1977, Final Report ED/MD/49. (Arabic, English, French, Russian, Spanish)
3. Population Education: a Contemporary Concern. Anthony Johnston. Paris, UNESCO, 1978. (Educational Studies and Documents: New Series, 28). (English, French, Spanish)
4. Problem-solving Approach to Environmental Education (A). Paris, UNESCO, 1985 (EES. 15). ED-84/WS/96. (English, French)
5. Guide pratique pour la gestion et l’administration des projets d’éducation en matière de population. Dakar, UNESCO/BREDA, 1989. (French)
6. Environmental Education: Selected Activities of UNESCO/UNEP International Environmental Education Programme 1975-1990. Paris, UNESCO, 1990. ED90/WS/41. (English)
7. Education for the Prevention of AIDS, No. 1, Selection of Extracts from Teachers’ Guides. Paris, UNESCO, 1991. (Trilingual: English/French/Spanish)
8. Drugs, Education for Prevention. Paris, UNESCO/WHO/EI, 1991. (English, French, Spanish)
9. Drugs: Demand Reduction. UNESCO Contribution Through Preventive Education, Position Paper. Paris, UNESCO, 1993. (English, French, Spanish)
10. First International Congress on Population Education and Development. Istanbul, 14-17 April 1993, Final Report, Paris, UNESCO, 1993. (English, French)
11. Population Education. edited by Etienne Brunswic, International Review of Education, Special edition, Vol. 39, Nos. 1-2, 1993. (Trilingual: English/French/German)
12. School Health Education to Prevent AIDS and STD. A Resource Package for Curriculum Planners. Geneva/Paris, Vol. I, II, III, WHO/UNESCO, 1994. (English, French)
13. Population and Quality of Life. Synposis of the Theme Papers Solicited by the Independent Commission on Population and Quality of Life, UNESCO, 1996 (Transdisciplinary project: Environment and Population Education for Development). (English, French)