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| UNITED
NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION |
| Address
by Mr Koïchiro Matsuura , Director-General |
| of
the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) |
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at
the meeting of the Development Assistance Committee,
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and
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
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Education's
Role in Poverty Reduction: UNESCO objectives and concerns
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OECD,
Paris, 2 October 2000
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 Mr
Chairman of the DAC Committee, Ladies
and Gentlemen, |
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My presence before you today is at once an honour and a crucial
step in UNESCO's and my own personal efforts to take forward
the Dakar Agenda. I thank you for your time.y. |
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| The
DAC is in fact not new to me. I represented my country at the
high-level DAC meetings in the 80s and, at my last, in 1989,
was honoured to be the first to talk to the meeting's theme,
which was "developed countries and development cooperation for
the 1990s". I stressed on that occasion - yes, more than a decade
ago! - that there was a need for country-specific approaches
to development cooperation; a need for greater ODA resource
flows; a need for strengthened aid evaluation. Those needs have
been recognized, but not always met, I am sure you will agree. |
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| Ladies
and Gentlemen, |
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| "The
rich are getting richer and the poor, poorer" |
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How often have we all heard this headline? It haunts us and
it taunts us. It used to be associated with the North-South
divide. Now, with the development of a global economy, the rift
is widening between rich and poor within countries, even in
the North. We know the human effects of social and economic
dislocation and economic transition; of declining output, government
revenues and household incomes; and of breakdown in public health
and infrastructure. Some of them are alcoholism, family disruption,
suicide, prostitution, drug use, crime, AIDS and tuberculosis.
But the most serious effect is long-term structural poverty.
The kind of structural poverty that has persisted in the South
for decades, - despite all our good intentions. |
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| Permit
me to mention briefly some indicators of this stark reality:
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The
number of people living in absolute poverty has increased.
· Worldwide, some 1.3 billion people subsist on less than
US$1 per day and nearly half of the world's population lives
on less than US$2 per day.
800
million people are undernourished.1.3 billion people live
without safe water. · By 2005, it is estimated that 51 per
cent of people in Sub Saharan Africa will be living in absolute
poverty. · More than 113 million children have no access
to primary education.
In
Sub Saharan Africa alone, it is projected that 50.7 million
children will be out of school in 2005. · Functional illiteracy
is gaining ground alarmingly.
One-sixth
of the world's population aged 15 and over cannot read and
write. · 880 million adults are illiterate. · Twice as many
women as men are illiterate.
In
some countries, HIV/AIDS, natural disasters and civil conflicts
have set back social integration and accelerated the slide
into poverty.
Unsustainable
levels of debt are constraining the domestic policy choices
of countries and sapping resources which otherwise could
have been allocated for social services, including basic
education and safe water, or poverty alleviation programmes.
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What is it we, the international community, have failed to do?
What can we do better to live up to the commitments we made
on so many different occasions during the 1990s? As we all agreed
in Copenhagen at the World Summit for Social Development: |
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We
commit ourselves to the goal of eradicating extreme poverty
in the world through decisive national actions and international
cooperation, as an ethical, social, political and economic
imperative of humankind
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Although development has long been a major objective of UNESCO's
programme, the Organization has not been consistently at the
forefront of recent international debate and actions in the
specific area of poverty eradication. But, in a world agenda
that continues to evolve rapidly and requires the Organization
to join forces with its partner agencies in the United Nations
system and Member States, UNESCO has a core role to play, and
is in a position to offer a significant added value to the collective
thrust towards translating into reality the goal of halving
extreme poverty by 2015. |
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| UNESCO's
best contributions to poverty alleviation are to be found in
areas in which no other organization possesses comparable expertise,
experience or outreach. Indeed, UNESCO's fields of competence
are critical for empowerment; for creating an enabling environment
for people to participate actively in individual and social
development through education, respect for human rights, cultural
and historical sensitivity in policy design, environmental sustainability,
and access to information for all. |
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| In
its work, UNESCO encourages the application of knowledge and
the mobilization of skills to solve problems recognized by the
international community to be of utmost priority. As the United
Nations' intellectual and ethical organization, UNESCO is well
placed to advocate the moral as well as the political imperative
of poverty reduction in the context of world peace and security. |
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| In
the current international debate on poverty, a number of strategic
issues are of special concern to UNESCO, including notably the
human and cultural dimensions of poverty and anti-poverty policies;
the issue of participation and ownership by developing countries,
and - in relation to the broader dynamics of society as a whole
- the socio-economic costs of poverty (environmental degradation,
ignorance, disease, HIV/AIDS, disparities, tensions and conflicts). |
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| Operationally
speaking, the Organization is therefore advocating a rights-based
approach to development; working on improving understanding
of the costs of poverty; promoting social cohesion and fighting
exclusion; putting science and technology at the service of
poverty reduction and development; strengthening impact assessment,
monitoring and indicators, and, last but by no means least,
empowerment through education and training. |
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| And
so we come to my main point, and to the reason why I believe
it is so important for me to be speaking to you today: education
and training. |
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| UNESCO
believes that it is vital to foster the development of an integrated
concept of education, one that enables individuals to adapt
to a rapidly changing social, economic and cultural environment,
and to continue to learn throughout life. It is no longer enough
to learn how to read, write and count. Learners must also learn
to be, to do, to learn, and to live together - the four pillars
of the life-long learning concept which UNESCO is promoting
as an outcome of the Delors Commission's work on Education for
the Twenty-first Century. |
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| Education's
central role in societal development has been restated in recent
thinking on economic development for high-quality growth. Such
growth cannot be measured by economic results alone, such as
those related to GNP per capita. It must also result in improved
social conditions for the poor. Investment in education is essential
to take full advantage of the leverage of human capital for
future growth. |
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| This
thinking permeates an increasing number of nations and the major
funding agencies for education - the International Monetary
Fund and the World Bank. It also guides the development co-operation
policies of a vast number of bilateral agencies and non-governmental
organizations. Education was placed at the core of developing
future knowledge-oriented societies at the recent G-8 meetings
- education being regarded as, and I quote from the 1999 Cologne
charter, 'indispensable to achieving economic success, civic
responsibility and social cohesion'. Furthermore, the importance
attached to education for poverty reduction led the G-8 leaders
in Okinawa to commit themselves to: |
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Achieving
the goals of universal primary education by 2015.
Achieving
gender equality in schooling by 2005.
And
of ensuring, and I quote from the Okinawa communique, 'that
no government seriously committed to achieving Education
for All would be thwarted in this achievement by lack of
resources'.
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| I
might add that this last quote I regard as fundamental; it reflects
perhaps one of the most significant achievements of the Dakar
Forum. |
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| Poverty,
then, cannot be tackled successfully and effectively unless
the responses to all of its dimensions are fully integrated.
A comprehensive concept of poverty-alleviation must capture
both economic and human dimensions, and it requires a strategy
based on integrated and cross-sectoral approaches. Given the
enormity of both the challenge and the task, a concerted effort
must be made by all development partners and national governments
in the pursuit of the international goal of halving extreme
poverty by 2015. |
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| Achieving
Education for All forms part of that agenda. |
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| We
need to know more about what makes education a powerful tool
for poverty eradication. We need to understand the factors operating
in specific local contexts that determine the outcomes of policies
and strategies, and why the same policies do not achieve the
same results in different contexts. In other words, we need
to strengthen research and knowledge. UNESCO and OECD are both
doing this as we develop indicators and guidelines for poverty
reduction and for education. |
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| UNESCO's
work in poverty eradication and Education for All is guided
by three core concerns: |
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The
first is to maximize the capacities of Member States to
design pro-poor policies and define national action plans
in the pursuit of Education for All.
The
second is to create a deeper commitment to poverty eradication
and a better understanding of the ways in which the persistence
of poverty violates human rights and undermines the welfare
of all.
The
third is to engage the international community in a concerted
effort to fulfil its stated commitments to EFA.
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| A
new Framework for Action to this effect was adopted by the World
Education Forum. UNESCO was given a heavy responsibility for
the follow-up to this Conference. It is committed to meeting
that responsibility. Fully committed. And it will do so, as
is natural, cooperatively. With other agencies, multilateral
and bilateral. With NGOs. But first and foremost with Member
States. As they have said and I willingly repeat, they are in
the driver's seat. But they need massive international assistance.
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| Let
me therefore focus the remainder of my intervention on this
make-or-break factor: the contribution by the world community
to poverty reduction and Education for All in terms of financing. |
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| It
can be rightly claimed that the international community has
failed to fulfil its stated commitments regarding provision
of financial resources. |
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| Of
course, responsibility for resource provision rests mainly with
national governments in the South. In the 1990s, it was sought
to boost sustainable development in the South as a way of increasing
national financial resources. This was done largely through
promoting market-oriented strategies and strengthening the functioning
of the State, the private sector, and civil society. The core
concern was to achieve macro-economic stability, rapid economic
growth and broad-scale participation in the benefits of that
growth, thus in principle leading to poverty reduction. |
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| A
mutually reinforcing relationship must be developed between
macro-economic stability and structural reform on one hand,
and growth and reduction of poverty and inequality on the other.
As you are aware, the two are currently linked through new,
integrated policy frameworks, such as the World Bank Comprehensive
Development Framework, the United Nations Development Assistance
Framework, Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers, and the Heavily
Indebted Poor Countries Initiative. It is also reflected in
the 20:20 Initiative. |
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What is the situation today? As members of the DAC, you know
the situation well: |
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As
a percentage of the combined GNP of DAC countries, Official
Development Assistance has fallen by more than one-fifth
in constant dollar terms from 1992 to 1997.
Trends
in both the volume and share of total ODA for the least
developed countries and for sub-Saharan Africa have been
downward in recent years.
Private
investment flows constitute the major proportion of overall
financial flows. And,
Non-concessional
disbursements constitute the major proportion of multilateral
assistance.
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| The
international community can no longer afford to wait and see,
despite certain reasons for optimism. We must remember that
just to reach the goals of Education for All, we have a perceived
funding gap of $8 billion per year. The international community
must now mobilize itself, rethink the provision and modalities
of aid, identify new financial sources and mechanisms, and show
that it is capable of practising what it preaches. |
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| A
development process oriented towards poverty alleviation should
involve increasing both domestic resource mobilization in the
South and private international capital flows. Concessional
resources should catalyze the attraction and productive use
of private capital, both foreign and domestic. The international
community should assist in the design of strategies that will
help to increase savings, attract private investments, improve
the efficiency of local financial systems, manage and reduce
debt, improve public financial management and make the best
use of ODA. |
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| Much
can thus be achieved through macro economic and sectoral reforms
at the national level. Much can hopefully also be achieved through
the consolidated work within integrated policy frameworks. But
even more could be achieved if the international community made
concerted efforts: |
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To achieve
policy coherence.
To
improve trade relations.
To ensure
debt relief. o To increase aid.
And,
To
target the aid carefully and effectively.
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| Parallel
to that, new sources and modalities for international assistance
must be exploited. In particular, we must examine options for
forging new partnerships among the financial service industry,
the state and civil society. We must build on the current interest
of the private sector - partly through expanded collaboration
with NGOs, private foundations and charitable organizations.
We must continue to explore the possible benefits of adopting
sector-wide approaches. And we must revisit the underlying conditionalities.
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| Mr
Chairman, |
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Let me finish by making a plea in areas where OECD and DAC member
countries could make a particular difference. OECD and DAC member
countries, and in particular those with large economies, should
again be reminded to: |
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Allocate
a proportionately higher share of overall ODA to social
development along the lines of the 20:20 Initiative.
Increase
overall support for Education, with particular emphasis
on basic education. This could be done, and this is what
I propose, by stepping up support from the current $3.5
billion to $7 billion by 2005, $10,5 billion by 2010 and
$14 billion by 2015, and within these target figures, by
expanding significantly the proportion of those sums earmarked
for basic education.
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| Furthermore,
it is vital for OECD and DAC to: |
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Ensure
coherence among all development partners, the UN system
and the development banks. UNESCO, for its part, will fully
play the leadership role assigned to it in Dakar by coordinating
the international community's delivery of its commitments
and, in particular, facilitating more effective donor coordination.
Promote
coordination at the country level through adoption of sector-wide
approaches.
Help
in ensuring monitoring of targets and goals for EFA nationally
and internationally, in which UNESCO will play a key role.
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| But,
perhaps most of all, we must ensure that debt relief serves
as an immediate catalyst for sustainable social and economic
- including educational - development and poverty reduction.
We must revisit the terms of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries
Initiative and enhance the speed of its enactment, while carefully
scrutinizing the context in each country. |
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| It
is my hope and wish that meetings such as the one we are having
today become instrumental in the fight against global poverty.
Even if we all have much to learn still about the underlying
causes and relationships that determine the state of poverty
within nations, we do know enough to put preventive and counter-active
measures into place. Doing so is not only our duty. It also
means fulfilling the 'ethical, social, political and economic
imperative of humankind' to which we committed ourselves five
years ago in Copenhagen. We have the political will of States
for the Dakar goals. We also need the financial will. This is
in the interests of us all.. |
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| Indeed,
did not the World Bank and IMF, in a recent joint statement,
indicate that industrial countries could best support sustainable
growth and reduce poverty by, I quote, 'maintaining the health
of their own economies, and thus contribute to a growing global
economy from which all nations can benefit' ? |
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| As
I have said, the onus is very much on developing countries,
and those countries themselves have recognized this. But the
momentum of donors' determination is crucial too. To help in
reformulating strategies, we have prepared a preliminary discussion
paper on financing. This comes as a draft which I am circulating
to you today. We intend to consult other partners as well before
it becomes an official document. Thank you in advance for your
comment and reactions. They will be most important. |
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Thank
you too for your attention.
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