This conference is being held within the framework of the Millennium Development Goals, the United Nations Literacy Decade, the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, the Arab Plan for the Development of Education in the Arab World and the Islamic Programme for Literacy and Basic Education for All.

Download: Statement on Investing in Adult Education: Building Learning and Knowledge Societies in the Arab States (PDF 138 KB)

Contexts and challenging issue

The resurgence of adult learning and education

1. The new millennium has brought about a renewed appreciation of adult learning and education (ALE) as central in addressing the critical development challenges in Asia and the Pacific. The rapid pace of change, and the rise of knowledge economies and learning societies in a globalised world, highlight the importance of ensuring that all adults have access to high-quality learning and education opportunities.

We, the representatives of 33 countries in the UNESCO Pan-European Region at this preparatory conference for CONFINTEA VI, declare our commitment to strengthening learning and education as a priority for all adults in the region. We meet at a time of financial crisis across the region and the wider world, and in the context of continuing conflicts, accelerating demographic change and environmental changes.

The year 2007 was a historic year for the Institute as it was the founding year of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL). This grew out of the UNESCO Institute for Education (UIE), which had operated from its Hamburg location for 55 years.

Download

Annual report 2007: UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (PDF 1,9 MB)