As a follow-up activity to various international declarations and platforms for action:

- The Sixth Conference of Ministers of Education and those Responsible for Economic Planning in Africa (MINDAF VI, Dakar 1991) identified girls and women as being amongst the most vulnerable groups.

-The Pan-African Conference of the Education of Girls (Ouagadougou, 1993), identified priority areas for a regional framework for action and for national programmes.

- The World Population Conference (Cairo, June 1994) reaffirmed the importance of education for girls and women in the context of human development.

- The Fourth Conference on Women (Beijing, 1995), clearly noted that investment in formal and non-formal education and training for girls and women gives exceptionally high social and economic returns, and is one of the best means of achieving social and economic development.