Address by Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of the Round Table on Education and Economic Development UNESCO, 19 October 2007 Mr Secretary-General of OECD, Distinguished Ministers, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to this Ministerial Round Table on the theme of Education and Economic Development. We are honoured to have with us about 100 Ministers of Education, and more than 250 participants and observers overall. I would like to thank you all for setting aside two days to discuss this crucial theme. Let me express my special thanks to those who have accepted to be chairs, panellists or commentators in our four thematic sessions. I would also like to extend my warm welcome and thanks to Mr Angel Gurría, Secretary-General of the OECD, who has kindly agreed to deliver the keynote speech. UNESCO has been cooperating very closely with OECD for many years, in particular in education. This September, Mr Gurría and I exchanged letters affirming our commitment to enhance such cooperation, building on our respective strengths and mutual interests. Let me add, that we will also be able to draw in our deliberations on the recommendations of the UNESCO General Conference Youth Forum, which focused on the role of education and science in sustainable development, and whose report has been distributed to you in document 34 C/INF.10. DG/2007/130 Original: English
Honourable Ministers, Ladies and Gentlemen, This is the third time I have organized a Ministerial Round Table on education during UNESCO s General Conference. The previous meetings on Quality Education in 2003 and on Education for All (EFA) in 2005 both served to give fresh impetus to the promotion of education globally. I look to this present gathering to provide similar leadership, in identifying proven public policies for unlocking education s potential to act as a force for economic growth and equality. We meet at an important moment. This year marks the halfway point towards the target date of 2015 for achieving EFA and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). These two agendas are closely linked; if they are to be achieved, they must be addressed together. The right to education cannot be fulfilled if poverty prevails. Conversely, access to quality education for all is a key driver of sustainable and equitable development. Here, I would like to underline the importance of focusing on the whole EFA agenda. Of the eight MDGs, two explicitly address education MDG 2, to achieve universal primary education; and MDG 3, to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women. While these goals are central to the vision of EFA, the latter is much broader, encompassing early childhood education, quality, lifelong learning and literacy. This holistic approach is vital, not only to ensuring full enjoyment of the human right to education, but also to achieving full social and economic participation. This is particularly important in an era of globalization and emerging knowledge societies. No country neither in the North nor in the South can afford to be ignorant or complacent about what is at stake. In choosing the theme of this Round Table, we are seeking to look with fresh eyes at this dynamic interface between education and economic development. Four main themes have been identified to structure the debate. The first is the normative or rights-based foundation of both education and development. DG/2007/130 - Page 2
This emphasis is important, because it reminds us of the commitments freely made by countries to international conventions to respect and fulfil the right to education and the right to development. It reminds us that the international community has pledged to promote and support equitable economic development that is oriented towards the needs of the poor, the marginalized and the disadvantaged. This is the clear orientation of the international development agenda, including the MDGs and the EFA goals. It is evident, however, as has been shown by the 2007 Millennium Development Goals Report, that even while extreme poverty is diminishing, income inequality is increasing. Moreover, despite progress made, current trends suggest that the six EFA goals are likely to be achieved only unevenly in a majority of countries and will be unachievable in others. The figures of 72 million out-of-school children and 774 million illiterate adults remind us of the scale of the challenge we are facing. Given these issues, it is appropriate that this Round Table gives strong emphasis to the ethical dimension by considering how education can contribute to an economic development that is inclusive, pro-poor and equitable. Our deliberations in this regard will have relevance for the meeting of EFA High- Level Group in Dakar in December, as well as for the next session of the International Conference on Education in Geneva in November 2008, which will focus on the question of inclusive education. In discussing the role of education in economic development, it is essential to ask what kind of investments in education can make a difference. This is the second theme the Round Table will examine. We are all aware of the extensive research on the positive impact of education on individual earnings and economic growth. We also know that different types and levels of education offer different prospects in terms of their impact on economic performance. DG/2007/130 - Page 3
The emphasis in recent years on basic education is justifiable on efficiency grounds, as well as for reasons of social equity. However, there is mounting evidence that the quality of education is of greater significance than years of schooling as such. An important focus of our discussion will be the criteria and strategies shaping policy choices and priorities in educational expenditure. This issue is growing in importance. The success of an increasing number of countries in expanding primary education is creating new demands for secondary and even higher education. There is likewise renewed interest in technical and vocational education and training in many parts of the world. The needs of higher education, too, are claiming greater attention, and not just for the sake of training the next generation of teachers. This mounting emphasis on post-primary education is important and must be addressed. However, we should not forget those girls and boys who still do not yet have access to quality primary education, or who drop out before they complete their schooling. Nor can we afford to neglect the needs of youth and adult literacy and of early childhood care and education, the special themes of the last two EFA Global Monitoring Reports. Governments and aid agencies must not ignore these concerns, which are important in their own right, but also for the achievement of other educational goals. As I have said: we must approach EFA as an integrated agenda. While the focus of our discussions will be on the contribution of education to economic development, we should not forget that the provision of education is itself predicated upon the availability of economic resources. Thus, while education is a means of promoting economic development, the reverse is also true. An increasing economic base enhances the possibility of increased tax revenues and thus enables governments to raise their investments in education, providing their citizens with a higher quality of education. In this way, a virtuous circle of progress may be established. DG/2007/130 - Page 4
Distinguished Ministers, Ladies and Gentlemen, Let me now turn to the third theme of our discussion. Today, it is impossible to consider the relationship between education and economic development without addressing the question of sustainability. Indeed, sustainability has become a key framework for understanding the purposes and values of education. Education is increasingly called upon to play a strong role in cultivating awareness and understanding of the challenges of sustainable development and how these should be addressed at societal, community and individual levels. As you know, the UN General Assembly has given UNESCO the responsibility to act as lead agency and international coordinator for the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, and we are endeavouring to fulfil that role energetically and conscientiously. The question of sustainability presents a challenge of learning how to live differently. Here, I am not just referring to our behaviour towards nature and the environment, but also to our economic behaviour and how we organize ourselves in society. What are the educational implications of this? It certainly involves asking how we are to raise the next generations with values, attitudes and understandings different from our own. We must call upon the young to think of the needs of future generations and to take better care of our planet. Education is key to this. But the issue is not just one of putting education for sustainable development into the curriculum and teaching materials, important though this is. It is also about cultivating capacities of critical understanding, careful analysis, respect for others and forward-thinking, capacities, which enable people to reflect upon and change their behaviour, values and life-styles. It is here that ESD intersects with issues concerning the quality of education, which is not just about learning outcomes, but also about the very purposes of education. DG/2007/130 - Page 5
Finally, we come to the fourth theme of our discussion, which is that of partnerships. As your presence here today illustrates, education and economic development are of global concern and can only be pursued as a collective global enterprise, with mutually supportive commitments and through effective collaboration. The reciprocal dynamism between sustainable economic development and education is supported through various existing partnerships and mechanisms such as the EFA movement, the MDGs, the EFA Fast Track Initiative, the application of the Paris Declaration for Aid Effectiveness, and UN reform processes and development frameworks at country level. It is through such mechanisms that the efforts of different stakeholders governments, multilateral organizations, bilateral donors, civil society and the private sector can be harmonized. An equally critical point is the need for ongoing inter-ministerial cooperation at country level. Education alone cannot work a miracle. To ensure job opportunities for those who are educated, for instance, collaboration with Ministries of Labour, Social Development, Agriculture, Industry, Science and Technology, among others, is essential. Another important dimension of partnership is the opportunity to combine resources and share good practices and innovations, especially through South-South, South- North and triangular cooperation. One example of such exchange and sharing has come about through the Working Group on Debt Swaps for Education, chaired by Mr Daniel Filmus, Minister of Education, Science and Technology of Argentina. More generally, partnerships are a key vehicle for innovation, scaling-up and resource mobilization for the benefit of education and its impact on economic development. DG/2007/130 - Page 6
Distinguished Ministers, Ladies and Gentlemen, During our two days of debate, I hope and expect that you will develop a consensus around a firm commitment to support, develop and implement inclusive pro-poor public policies in education. Your presence here at UNESCO, as Ministers of Education from all regions of the world, is a powerful expression of global concern and determination to address the challenges of both education and economic development, as drivers of efforts to achieve international development targets. The outcomes of your discussions will provide input into the ongoing deliberations of this session of the General Conference, as well as into other processes and fora. In particular, this is an opportunity to promote good practices in inclusive pro-poor educational policies and programmes and to agree upon modalities of action, notably through South-South and North-South cooperation. The Round Table also offers a platform for renewed and extended partnerships in enhancing the quality of education, especially in terms of learning outcomes. Above all, we must seize this opportunity to signal to our colleagues in government, the multilateral system, civil society and the private sector that we are more firmly committed than ever to strengthening the position of education within national development strategies and poverty eradication frameworks. As we continue to work together towards achieving the MDGs and the EFA goals, this Round Table, taking place, as it does, halfway towards 2015, provides a critical opportunity for the international community. The outcomes of our deliberations will help to set the stage for renewed efforts over the coming decisive years. Thank you very much. DG/2007/130 - Page 7