Latin American Leaders Give Priority to Early Childhood Development Programs

The Copenhagen Consensus Center analyzes the world's greatest challenges and identifies cost efficient solutions to meeting these challenges. The Center works with multilateral organizations, governments and other entities concerned with mitigating the consequences of the challenges which the world is facing.

The Copenhagen Consensus for Latin America and the Caribbean took place in San José, Costa Rica, 22-25 October 2007. The challenges considered were:

• Democracy,
• Education,
• Employment and Social Security,
  
• Environment,
  
• Fiscal Problems,
  
• Health,
• Infrastructure,
  
• Poverty and Inequality,
  
• Public Administration and Institutions, and
• Violence and Crime.
  

An expert panel of nine distinguished economists considered research about each major challenge and its potential solutions.

The panel ended its brief report with the following paragraph:

Top priority was given to Early Childhood Development programs. These are interventions that improve the physical, intellectual and social development of children early in their life. The interventions range from growth monitoring, day-care services, preschool activities, improved hygiene and health services to parenting skills. Besides improving children’s welfare directly, the panel concluded these programs create further benefits for family members, releasing women and older siblings to work outside the home or to further their own education. Evidence shows that the benefits are substantially higher than the costs.

Of course, UNESCO has recognized the priority appropriate to Early Childhood Development programs long ago.

Check out the UNESCO Early Childhood website.

The 2007 EFA Global Monitoring Report features Early Childhood Care and Education.

UNESCO reaffirmes UNESCO’s commitment to education in Africa

© UNESCO/Lissac, P.
Chemistry class in Kenya

At a recent meeting of African Ministers of Education, UNESCO’s Director-General, Koïchiro Matsuura, reaffirmed UNESCO’s commitment to education in Africa.

Ministers of Education from African Member States as well as the African Union Commissioner for Human Resources, Science and Technology, Professor Nagia Essayad, participated in discussions.

The meeting was held within the context of the 34th session of the General Conference and offered the opportunity to discuss UNESCO’s initiatives and activities in Africa in an informal way.

Related links

• Education for All
• Literacy Initiative for Empowerment (LIFE)
• Teacher Training Initiative for sub-Saharan Africa (TTISSA)
• The Global Initiative on Education and HIV/AIDS (EDUCAIDS)

The Global University Network for Innovation

The Global University Network for Innovation - GUNI is composed of UNESCO Chairs in Higher Education, research centers, universities, networks and other institutions highly committed to innovation in higher education. More than 100 institutions from around the world are GUNI members.

GUNI was set up by UNESCO, the United Nations University (UNU) and the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC) in 1999 with the aim of following up the decisions taken at the World Conference on Higher Education (WCHE) held in Paris in 1998.

The goal of GUNI is to contribute to the reinforcement of higher education by the application of the decisions of the World Conference on Higher Education.

Member States reach consensus after Ministerial Round Table

Following debates at the Ministerial Round Table on Education and Economic Development on 19-20 October, a communiqué has been issued based on recommendations by 96 Member States.

Related links

• Communiqué
• Ministerial Round Table
• Education for Sustainable Development
• Literacy
• Education for All (EFA)

Co-Sponsors of a Resolution to Support Literacy Conferences

Following the White House Conference on Literacy held in conjunction with the last United Nations Summit, UNESCO is embarking on a series of conferences in support of global literacy including in Qatar, China, Mali, India, Costa Rica
and Azerbaijan.

A resolution was introduced asking member states to support this series. It was jointly sponsored by:

* CUBA,
* MEXICO,
* SOUTH AFRICA,
* SPAIN and
* THE UNITED STATES

“International Forum of Civil Society – UNESCO’s Partners”

An International Forum of Civil Society was held by UNESCO on 25 October, during the 34th session of UNESCO’s General Conference (16 October to 3 November).

Since its inception, UNESCO has recognized that non-governmental organizations and foundations play an important role in international cooperation in the service of peoples.

For more than a half-century, UNESCO has enjoyed cooperative relations with a number of such organizations in its fields of competence, thereby enabling it to work with civil society in achieving its objectives and to disseminate through them its democratic and ethical ideals.

Currently, UNESCO is enjoying official relations with 305 international NGOs and 27 foundations and similar institutions which are working in the fields of competence of the Organization. In addition to this formal framework, the Organization has been carrying out a range of activities hand in hand with NGOs, not only at international and regional levels, but also at national level.

Celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was adopted as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations on 10 December 1948. UNESCO contributed to its elaboration and adoption, in particular by presenting a report which confirmed that the human rights standards included in the draft of the Declaration had their foundation in all cultures and all civilizations.

The adoption of the Declaration is commemorated on 10 December every year, proclaimed by the United Nations as Human Rights Day. Important events and celebrations are organized worldwide on and around this Day. The 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration will be an opportunity for a major mobilization, especially taking into account the commitments of the Millennium Declaration and the Millennium Development Goals, as well as the 2005 World Summit, at which all Member States acknowledged the importance of human rights.

The 60th anniversary is an opportunity to assess the situation with regard to the rights within UNESCO’s competence (namely

• the right to education,
  
• the right to freedom of opinion and expression, including the right to seek, receive and impart information,
• the right to take part in cultural life and
  
• the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications).
  

To highlight the advancements and analyse the shortcomings with a view to determining the action required in order to promote their implementation, two international conferences are to be organized respectively around the themes:

• The rights within UNESCO’s competence: achievements, obstacles, perspectives for the future;
• Human rights education: current situation and perspectives for the future.

The UNESCO Literacy Portal

In today’s world, one in five adults is still not literate (two-thirds of them women) while 72 million children are out-of-school

Since its foundation in 1946, UNESCO has been at the forefront of global literacy efforts and is dedicated to keep literacy high on national, regional and international agendas. However, with some 774 million adults lacking minimum literacy skills, literacy for all remains an elusive target.

UNESCO’s literacy programs aim to create a literate world and promote literacy for all.

Read about UNESCO's Literacy Initiative for Empowerment (LIFE) 2006-2015.

United Nations Literacy Decade (2003 - 2012)

Reflections on the Future Role of UNESCO: Some Key Issues, Trends and Challenges

This document was prepared by the Director-General for the global consultation on the long-term future role of UNESCO. It takes into account observations made during an international consultative process and reflects UNESCO’s latest proposals on the United Nations reform. The key discussion, contained for some reason in an Appendix, begins with a summary of the key international trends which will affect the future of UNESCO and the United Nations system in general.

It confirms the need for continued attention to:

• reduction of global poverty
• promotion of peace and dialog among nations
  
• Promoting cultural diversity, intercultural dialogue and multilingualism
• Injecting ethical principles into globalization
• Harnessing science for sustainable development and peace
• Contributing to the fight against HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases
• Promoting gender equality
• Building knowledge societies

Recongnizing that the United Nations reform will have major implications for UNESCO, the report calls for continued efforts of UNESCO reengineer its processes and structure in order to improve efficiency and to concentrate its resource in those areas in which it has comparative advantage within in the UN system,

The report states that UNESCO has several clear advantages on which it can build its future strategic location and interventions:

• its role as undisputed global specialized agency for education, natural sciences, human sciences, culture and communication, providing an indispensable link between normativeand technical/operational functions;
• its designation and recognition as lead agency for complex, multi-stakeholder and longterm tasks (e.g. related to EFA through its Global Action Plan and the World Water Assessment Programme, the various decades for which UNESCO has been designated by the United Nations General Assembly as lead agency, and the promotion of freedom of expression and media and information development);
• its ability to develop evidence-based policies drawing on the statistical and analytical work of the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) and several flagship publications, such as the EFA Global Monitoring Report or the World Water Report;
• its role as leader, manager and guardian of global lists of sites, inscribed upon request of Member States, such as for World Heritage, Biosphere Reserves or Intangible Cultural Heritage.

As UNESCO becomes more involved in capacity development, it will have to explore new modalities of cooperation and knowledge sharing. It will have to broaden its partnerships, extending beyond the traditional partners of government agencies and working more with civil society.

The discussion concludes:

The question may not be so much “what future for UNESCO”, but “what UNESCO for the future”. Faced with a complex, rapidly changing world, and a fiercely competitive environment, UNESCO needs to develop its responsiveness, flexibility and adaptability, advocacy, ability to build multi-stakeholders coalitions, and ability to mobilize and implement resources – at the global, regional and country levels.

Click here to read the whole 24 page report (PDF format).

e-Journal of the General Conference

UNESCO publishes an electronic journal of the General Conference. It provides you with an updated summary of the work of the General Conference on a daily basis. It goes online early every morning during the Session.

Each issue provides information on the day’s meetings, brief summaries of the debates of the previous day, the provisional agenda for the following day’s meetings, the list of speakers for the plenary meetings of the day, and announcements of official visits and other key official events.

Go to the archive of the e-Journal.

EFA Global Monitoring Report 2007

Every year, the EFA Global Monitoring Report assesses where the world stands on its commitment to provide a basic education to all children, youth and adults by 2015.

EFA Global Monitoring Report 2007 features early childhood care and education

Find out...

Why is early childhood care and education so important to achieving EFA?

Why do disadvantaged children benefit the most?

Who are the 77 million out-of-school children?

How much is needed to meet the 2015 target date?

• Full Report (PDF)
• Summary Report (PDF)

The Global Education Digest 2007

The Global Education Digest 2007 presents the latest education statistics from primary to tertiary levels in more than 200 countries. This edition focuses on the financing of education and provides a series of indicators to compare spending patterns across countries and levels of education.

Governments in sub-Saharan Africa spend only 2.4% of the world’s public education resources. Yet about 15% of the school-age population lives in these countries, according to the Digest. In contrast, the United States, which is home to just 4% of the world’s children and young people, spends 28% of the global education budget. This is mainly due to the large numbers of university students and the relatively high costs associated with this level of education.

East Asia and the Pacific has the second-highest share of global public spending on education at 18% (after the North American and Western European region). Yet governments in the region are investing considerably less than their share of global income (28% of GDP) and the school-age population (29%).

The opposite scenario is found in South and West Asia, where 7% of the world’s public education resources are spent on 28% of children and young people. A more balanced situation emerges in Latin America and the Caribbean, a region which accounts for 8% to 9% of global education spending, the school-age population and global wealth.

Read the entire Global Education Digest (PDF, 206 pages.)

Secretary Spellings's Remarks at the UNESCO General Conference Plenary Debate

Secretary Spellings laughs with students at
T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia.
October 10, 2007

Secretary Spelling said at the Roundtable:

The United States strongly supports UNESCO's goal of ensuring every child has access to a quality education by 2015. We have also made a similar commitment in our own country: to provide every child with grade-level or better skills in reading and math by 2014.

These goals are historic and revolutionary. To achieve them, we must confront long-held assumptions about the ability of underprivileged children to perform as well as their peers. We must challenge longstanding habits in our education systems—including the ways in which we allocate resources like time, funding, and personnel. And we must hold ourselves accountable for supporting programs that have been proven to produce results.

Read the remarks in full!

UNESCO Courier: Special Edition for the 2007 General Conference

Six hundred and thirty-one million dollars – this is the minimum amount UNESCO needs to operate for the next two years. The budget will be set at the 34th session of UNESCO’s General Conference, which brings together - in Paris, from 16 October to 3 November - the representatives of the Organization’s 193 Member States who will also determine the 2008-2009 programme. A preview of the Organization’s future priorities is presented in this issue of the UNESCO Courier.

Related materials

• Budgets
• The General Conference in 20 dates
• 60 Years of UNESCO's History

Click here to go to the Special Edition of The UNESCO Courier.

UNESCO General Conference - 34th Session

The 34th session of the General Conference, which every two years brings together the Member States of UNESCO, is being held from 16 October to 3 November in Paris.

Two ministerial round tables – on education and on science – a youth forum and an international civil society forum are on the agenda of the session. Close to 2,000 participants are expected, including numerous ministers and some ten heads of State and government who will take the floor before representatives of the Organization’s 193 Member States.

Go to the General Conference Website!

Interface between Education and Economic Development

A Ministerial Round Table was held on the theme of Education and Economic Development on October 19th and 20th. More than 100 ministers of education and another 250 observers participated in the meeting, which built upon two previous Round Tables focused on education quality (in 2003) and Education for All (in 2005). This Round Table concentrated on the key issues at the interface between education and economic development. It sought to identify new approaches and to elicit fresh ideas, to provide impetus for future national policies and strategies, and to give orientation to UNESCO’s action and priorities in this field.

• Consult the archived footage
• Provisional agenda
• Keep updated on the Ministerial Round Table news

Teleconference Regarding the U.S. World Heritage Tentative List Meeting Minutes

Member nations of UNESCO submit tentative lists of sites within their countries that may be nominated for recognition as World Heritage Sites. The U.S. is now being updated for the first time since 1990. The National Park Service is responsible for compiling the new list, and asked for inputs from the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO as part of the compilation process. A NatCom committee was formed to review the submission, and met held a phone consultation a couple of weeks ago. The minutes of the meeting provide a list of the potential sites considered this year, and the recommendations for inclusion or non-inclusion from the list.

Read the minutes of that virtual meeting.

Dunes at Sunset, White Sands NM, New Mexico

© 2005–2006 Henning Umland

White Sands was one of the sites highly recommended for inclusion on the tentative list.

UN Competitive Recruitment Examinations

The United Nations is holding a competitive recruitment examination in February 2008, for U.S. CITIZENS who are interested in entry-level professional posts. A maximum of 40 of the most qualified applicants in each field will be invited to take the exam. The UN must receive applications for it by October 31, 2007.

EXAMINATION CRITERIA ( all must be met)

1. Be no more than 32 years old as of December 31, 2008 (UN requirement).
2. Have at least an undergraduate degree (advanced degree is an advantage but is not required) in one of the following occupational fields or related areas:
   • Finance
   • Information Technology
   • Political Affairs
   • Program Evaluation
   • Environment
   • Statistics
3. Be fluent in English and/or French, the two working languages of the Secretariat. Knowledge of additional official languages of the UN (Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Spanish) is a definite advantage.

The competitive recruitment exam appears to have been given once a year, You can find out more about this and other UN employment examinations at the exam page of the UN Office of Human Resource Management website.

The United Nations Office of Human Resource Management website provides more information on employment opportunities and conditions in the United Nations system..

You may also find links to the job websites of many of the larger intergovernmental agencies on Thoughts About K4D (blog).

There is an earlier aritcle on how to get a job with UNESCO on the UNESCO in the Spotlight blog.

U.S. NatCom Newsletter: July/August/September 2007

The U.S. National Commission for UNESCO has published its third newsletter for the year. The contents are:

• Comments from the Executive Director
• African UNESCO Regional Literacy Conference Hosted in Bamako, Mali
• The First Lady Hosts a Global Health and Literacy Luncheon in New York
• 1st UNESCO Americas Youth Forum Held in Mexico
• Office of UNESCO Affairs Coordinates Roundtable with Secretary Rice's new Science and Technology Adviser Nina Fedoroff
• ‘Magic Planet' Education Tool to be Displayed at Planet Earth Exhibit UNESCO Job Vacancies

The issue also provides links to UNESCO sites describing its search for people to fit key jobs in the organization.

UNESCO: What is it? What does it do?; 2006

UNESCO has published this new edition of its very useful and informative booklet:

UNESCO: What is it? What does it do?

The document, in a PDF format, briefly describes UNESCO's history and charter, with sections devoted to each of UNESCO's major program areas.

This is an update of the 2003 edition by the same title.