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| 159TH
SESSION OF EXECUTIVE BOARD CLOSES REINFORCING UNESCO'S ROLE
IN BASIC EDUCATION |
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 Paris,
May 26 - The 159th session of UNESCO's Executive Board, chaired
by Sonia Mendieta de Badaroux (Honduras), ended today after
adopting decisions which endorsed the reform process launched
by Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura and voiced unqualified
support for the Organization's reinforced commitment in favour
of basic education and increased funding for this sector. |
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| In
her closing remarks, Ms Mendieta de Badaroux expressed the Executive
Board's "determination to put UNESCO back on track" by supporting
the Organization's reform process and declared: "Work on the
reform of UNESCO has substantially progressed since it was started
a few months ago and […] we have every reason to pitch our hopes
high on subsequent developments". |
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| Delegates
welcomed UNESCO's role, confirmed at the World Education Forum
in Dakar in April, to be the lead agency in a UN-wide effort
to help States provide basic education for all by the year 2015. |
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| According
to the Director-General - who presented the results of the World
Education Forum and their implications for UNESCO, during the
session - priorities defined in Dakar "have to be rapidly translated
into education policies and strategies ensuring quality education
for all - girls and women, marginalised and vulnerable groups
- through formal schooling and adapted non-formal and lifelong
education". To achieve this, he stressed the need to reinforce
co-operation with non-governmental organisations, other United
Nations agencies, the donor community, the Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development and Member States which
will remain "in the driver's seat", he said. |
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Mr
Matsuura defined UNESCO's role in the global drive for education
for all as "leadership through partnership." He declared:
"The necessary technical and financial assistance must be
available to all our Member States without exception", and
said he was determined to make the follow-up of Dakar "the
top priority in UNESCO's programme and budget and to place
education for all at the heart of our programme." He called
for a massive mobilisation of resources "including debt relief
and/or debt cancellation schemes" in favour of education for
all.
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| Underlining
that commitment, the Board attributed some US$3 million in additional
funding to basic education out of savings of over US$10.7 million,
redeployed to strengthen the programmes. |
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| The
session that ended today endorsed the reform programme launched
by the Director-General since he took office six months ago.
The Board notably supported measures taken to reduce higher
level posts in order to achieve a more balanced post structure,
develop staff training, prepare to set up a single oversight
service and rationalise UNESCO's field office strategy. |
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| The
Executive Board reviewed the bidding by several Member States
to host the newly created UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS)
and approved the selection of Montreal (Canada) as a choice
for the UIS, pending the conclusion of an appropriate agreement
between UNESCO and Canada. The Institute was established last
year to provide policy-relevant, timely and reliable statistics
in the fields of education, science and technology, culture
and communication. |
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| During
the session, on May 17, the Executive Board held a thematic
debate on UNESCO in a Globalising World on the initiative of
the Chairperson of the Executive Board, Sonia Mendieta de Badaroux,
with the participation of Jean-Claude Trichet, Governor of France's
central bank; Kuwaiti writer Mohammed Al Romaihi; and Luc Montagnier,
President of the World Foundation for AIDS Research and Prevention.
The debate highlighted the potentials and dangers to societies
of the economy-driven globalisation process underway. |
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| The
58-member Executive Board, whose 159th session opened on May
15, meets twice a year to oversee the implementation of the
programme and budget adopted by UNESCO's General Conference
which is convened every two years. |
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For
more information:
contact
the World Education Forum media co-ordination office
at tel (221) 826 80 52 or (221) 641 8281
or email a.muller@unesco.org
WEBSITE: www.education.unesco.org/efa
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