|
Meeting
of Directors of UNESCO's field offices
(June 18-20, 2001)
Representatives
from forty-nine UNESCO offices met in Paris to share ideas and experiences
on the post-Dakar follow-up process. The meeting was expected to
clarify the global vision and strategies for Education for All.
The first day was devoted to information sharing and was a rich
account of what is happening around the world, particularly at regional
and subregional levels.
African
regional plan of action under preparation :
The
educational challenge is greatest in Africa. UNESCO Dakar has taken
the intiative in co-ordinating the work of EFA partners. A regional
action plan has been elaborated with the broad participation of
EFA national co-ordinators, NGOs and Ministers of Education and
a series of Memorandums of Understanding with various United Nation
partners and countries have been signed. UNESCO Dakar has established
a regional network of education specialists and a roster of easily-accessible
education experts. These specialists will be called upon to assist
countries in elaborating national EFA plans of action. The office
has also given priority to advocacy on EFA by launching an EFA website,
an African EFA Bulletin, and a press briefing kit on EFA in Africa.
However,
Armoogum Parsuramen, Director of UNESCO Dakar, also highlighted
the constraints facing his office: lack of staff, financial resources
and communication facilities. Although he is trying to find alternative
solutions, ranging from secondment from bilateral and multilateral
agencies to ensuring email addresses to all EFA co-ordinators, the
critical issue of human and financial resources remains. "We need
additional allocation of resources from Headquarters to trigger
the process in our field offices in the region and to provide seed
money to countries," Mr Parsuramen said.
Presentation
in powerpoint on the post-Dakar follow-up process in sub-Saharan
Africa
|
