The year 2015 is the target date for the achievement of the six Education for All (EFA) goals.

While Arab countries have made significant progress towards achieving some of these goals, such as eliminating gender disparity in access to basic and secondary education, others; such as pre-primary education and quality education; are still relatively far from reach.

Contributing to the agenda setting of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that constitute the new pillar for UN activities in the post-2015 period, UNESCO is coordinating the global consultative processes of defining the future education agenda. The consultations have indicated that the direction of the post-2015 education agenda be anchored in a lifelong and sector-wide perspective, addressing access, equity and quality for all – children, youth and adults - at all levels of education from early childhood (ECCE) to higher education and adult learning across formal, non-formal and informal modalities.

UNESCO’s General Conference, which met in November 2013, also committed to promote an overarching goal on education during international discussions on the global education agenda “based upon key principles of access, equity, quality, in the perspective of lifelong learning”.

Furthermore, ongoing consultations on the future education agenda will culminate in the 2015 World Education Forum (WEF), which will be organized by UNESCO in Incheon; the Republic of Korea, in May 2015.

Within this context, and in preparation for this Forum, the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in the Arab States is organizing the Arab States Regional Conference on Education Post-2015, which will bring together Ministers and senior officials of ministries of education from countries in the region and representatives from regional and international organizations and NGOs with two main objectives:

1- Discuss issues, trends, challenges and future priorities for education on the basis of the national EFA reviews conducted by the countries in 2014; and

2- Develop regional recommendations for the international framework for action to be adopted at the World Education Forum in Incheon.

To be held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt from 27 to 29 January 2015, the meeting will provide an opportunity for countries to voice their reflections and needs for education beyond 2015 and contribute to the shaping of the future of education within the broader development agenda from a regional perspective.

Finally, the meeting is expected to issue a statement endorsing a shared vision and understanding of EFA status in the region, a regional perspective on the proposed post-2015 global education goals and targets and regional contributions to the development of the post-2015 Framework for Action and implementation strategy.