DRAFT
UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL,
SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION
World Summit on Sustainable Development
Address by
Mr Koïchiro Matsuura
Director-General
of the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO)
on the occasion of launching the FAO/UNESCO
EFA Flagship Programme on Education for Rural People
Johannesburg, Summer Place, 3 September 2002, 9 a.m.
12/02/16, 10:02
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Ladies and Gentlemen,
Today more than ever before, education is the key to rural
transformation and is essential for the economic, cultural and
ecological vitality of rural areas and communities. Moreover, none of
the agreed goals for education or development in the 21 st century can
be realized without giving special attention to the situation of rural
people.
Let me place these statements in context.
In spite of rapid
urbanization, three billion people or 60 per cent of the population in
developing countries, amounting to half of the people of the world,
still live in rural areas. Three-quarters of the world's poor, those
earning less than a dollar a day, live in the countryside. One in five
children in the South are not enrolled in primary school and many
countries report that low school attendance, early dropout of students,
adult
illiteracy
and
gender
inequality
in
education
disproportionately high in rural areas, as is poverty.
are
Urban-rural
disparities in educational investment and in the quality of teaching and
learning are also widespread.
As a result, education to serve rural transformation is one of the
main challenges facing the drive to achieve Education for All (EFA).
And, basic education is one of the foundations of sustainable
development, because it is human resources who are the core of
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sustainable development. This link between education for all, defined
very broadly, and sustainable development is fundamental. It is why
this new partnership, focusing on rural populations and spearheaded
by FAO is so important. As we begin this flagship programme as a
WSSD type 2 partnership, I am very aware of what an unusual
opportunity this is and how important it is to take advantage of it.
I wish to reflect on some of the critical aspects of this partnership.
--Education and sustainable rural development are both complex and
their achievement requires long term processes, not quick fixes. By
bringing together partners from two different areas, education and
agriculture, with a common goal and common understandings of the
challenges, we can build on the strengths and advantages of each.
--For too long, rural populations have been denied access to the
knowledge, skills, and competencies that empower them to take
advantage of progress in agriculture and other rural activities to
improve their lives and to leave poverty behind.
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This partnership promises an emphasis on reaching these populations,
combining the lessons we have learnt in both education and rural life.
--For too long, rural populations have been denied an education that
builds on critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, and building
individual and shared knowledge bases. This is the heart of
educational transformation; to improve the quality of learning so that
people can become learners for life, and apply that learning to their
changing contexts, as actors and not merely beneficiaries.
--For too long, rural populations have been asked to assimilate
existing knowledge that is not relevant to their current environment
and does not help them build sustainable futures.
This partnership promises an emphasis on a quality education that
focuses on knowledge, skills and competencies that can be used in
daily rural life and in a new and possibly different future.
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This partnership promises an emphasis on a quality education that
imbues the concepts of a sustainable future for all.
--For too long, rural skills training programmes have been separate
from the basic skills for learning throughout life and from the reality
of living life in dignity.
This partnership has the potential for skills training to build on basic
education for the broader application and adaptation of these skills for
lifelong livelihood support.
This partnership has the potential to link vocational and
entrepreneurial training to locally functioning businesses, industries,
and cooperatives to facilitate the much-needed linkages between
education and the world of work.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Education for All is not just about primary or formal education.
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--It is about fulfilling the right of all people to a quality basic
education comprised of literacy, numeracy and skills for life as the
basis for learning and changing, now and in the future.
--Quality Education for All is about ensuring that our education
systems promote the fundamentals of a sustainable future. These
include peace, stewardship of our globe, economic and human wellbeing, ethics, and a commitment to include, in fair and just ways,
those fellow travellers on this globe who have, so far, been excluded
or have, at best, found themselves on the margins.
And this is why this flagship programme is so important. It reaches
out to half the world’s population with a commitment to sustainable
futures, linking education to other key aspects of rural life.
I am very pleased that Mr Jacques Diouf, Director-General of the
FAO and myself can personally launch the initiative that reflects the
paradigm shift evident in this Summit. That is, full recognition that
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education has a key role to play in molding individual and shared
sustainable futures. I pledge UNESCO’s full support in terms of its
commitments to both Education for All and Education for Sustainable
Development.
Thank you.