COMMUNITIES
Advancing the Education for All Initiative brings together the World Economic Forum and UNESCO
In order to address global education challenges, UNESCO and the World Economic Forum combine their global networks and outreach capacities
Education for All: The Key Aspect of the Commitment
The Education for All initiative is a global forum for all educational stakeholders and communities as well as a framework defining global educational objectives and challenges. UNESCO is the designated UN agency to lead this initiative. Both UNESCO and the World Economic Forum consider education a key catalyst and enabler for sustainable social and economic development.
Round Tables
In 2004 and 2005, the World Economic Forum organized – amongst others - two roundtable meetings on the subject of public-private partnerships in basic education.
The April 2005 roundtable was hosted by UNESCO/Paris. The participants agreed on the need to build both global and local strategic alliances between corporate, public and civil society sectors to enhance social and economic opportunities for learners and to promote good practice in private-sector support to public institutions.
The roundtable was opened by UNESCO Director-General, Koïchiro Matsuura, who emphasized the importance of partnering with the private sector to meet the goal of achieving universal primary education in all countries by 2015: ‘I am very pleased with the progress being made in UNESCO’s collaboration with the business community in regard to basic education. It is an ongoing process and I would like it to develop further in the period ahead.’
Previously, in November 2004, a roundtable took place in Brasilia as a side-event of the 4th meeting of the High-Level Group on Education for All (EFA). Participants of this roundtable acknowledged that education is not only among the most important issues facing the world today but also that it presents a business case for private sector engagement.
In turn, the EFA High-Level Group highlighted the need for more significant private-sector participation in education and recognized that business leaders and notably the World Economic Forum are essential to global advocacy efforts to ensure that six major goals of Education for All can be achieved.
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum is an independent international organization committed to “improving the state of the world by engaging leaders in partnerships to shape global, regional and industry agendas”.
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