Education for All > Background Documents > Mid-Decade Meeting 1996 > Press Release Education for All Forum to meet in Amman in June 1996 Paris, 1 June 1996 - Some 200 leaders from around the world will meet in Amman, Jordan, from 16 to 19 June this year in the biggest international event on basic education since 1990 (World Conference on Education for All, Jomtien, Thailand). This third global meeting of the International Consultative Forum on Education for All will bring together key decision-makers from industrialized and developing nations including Ministers of Education, multilateral and bilateral donors, and representatives of non-governmental organizations and the media. Hosted by the Royal Government of Jordan, the meeting will assess what is being achieved - in practice - following the specific commitments that were made by 155 governments and many donors at the 1990 Jomtien World Conference when countries pledged to provide primary education to all children and massively reduce illiteracy before the year 2000. "The Amman meeting will be a milestone because it will show the track record of what countries have or haven't done to provide basic education to their people in the past six years," says Colin Power, UNESCO's Assistant Director-General for Education. "It will also show the extent to which institutions and donors have provided the support promised to help poor countries meet the basic learning needs of millions of children without schooling and illiterate youth and adults." "There is a new sense of urgency about social development, and education is at the core of it," Power added. "Most leaders today agree that alleviating poverty, protecting the environment and reducing the rate of population growth cannot be achieved without heavy investment in basic education." The Forum, convened by UNESCO's Director-General on behalf of UNESCO, UNDP, UNICEF and the World Bank, will examine the results of the world-wide "Mid-Decade Review of Progress towards Education for All" launched last year. The review involved special reports by countries on their experiences in basic education since 1990, country case-studies, a survey of major donor organizations, and a series of seven regional seminars that ended in February 1996. Participants at the four-day meeting will explore issues such as education for girls and women, teachers' working conditions, evolving educational needs in countries undergoing rapid transition, and innovative non-formal education strategies. A panel of children, adult learners, teachers, and parents, with a few renown educators will discuss the challenges of Education for All from a "grass-roots" perspective.