This Information Kit on Education for All is an attempt, some eighteen months after the World Education Forum in Dakar,to take stock of the major issues facing the EFA movement,to outline current trends and to identify possible avenues of future action.The kit has been designed as an easy-to-use and up-to-date source of quick reference for all those involved in the EFA endeavour, including ministers of education,planning and international cooperation, along with their technical staff; UN agencies and development partners (bilateral and multilateral);non-governmental organizations active in education and related fields;and educationists,professional bodies,and researchers.

Many of the themes developed in this kit relate directly to the six EFA goals and associated targets which national governments and the international community have committed themselves to attain by 2015 at the latest. Other themes,such as EFA in countries in crisis and the impact of HIV/AIDS on education, are highlighted because they clearly deserve special attention. Without urgent and targeted action,a number of countries will not meet the EFA goals according to the schedule agreed in Dakar.

The key role of partnership in the EFA drive is the common thread running through the entire kit.EFA will not be achieved without the collaboration of all partners at all levels. At the national level,of course,the driving force behind EFA must be the government, working in collaboration with civil society and the private sector, and supported by international partners of several kinds.Good examples of partnership in practice are evident in the flagship initiatives such as the UN Girls ’ Education Initiative (UNGEI),the AIDS,Education and School flagship,and Focussing Resources on Effective School Health (FRESH).

Collaboration with civil society is gaining ground.The Dakar Framework for Action specifically calls for greater civil society involvement in national policy making.Today, civil society organizations are making increased efforts to present a coherent voice and to build systematic relationships with governments and international agencies. Through such partnership,we can make common cause in the struggle to achieve basic education for all of sound quality.

I hope you will find this Information Kit informative and thought-provoking.

Koïchiro Matsuura
Director-General
UNESCO