December 2002

The FAO and UNESCO are making a joint call = for=20 Education for rural people

The Food and Agriculture = Organization=20 of the United Nations (FAO), together with the United = Nations=20 Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) = are=20 calling for agencies of the United Nations, member states, = and civil=20 society to join in a new partnership in favour of Education = for=20 rural people.

Poverty afflicts 1.2 billion people in = the=20 world. Some 70% of these poor - that is, 840 million = individuals -=20 live in rural areas of developing countries. In addition to = these=20 people, who include the immense majority of the world's 880 = million=20 illiterate people, 130 million children worldwide do not = attend=20 school. Considering that approximately 70% of these children = live in=20 rural areas, education for these people deserves special = attention,=20 which should not be simply moulded on the urban model, but = rather=20 should take into consideration the specific characteristics = of each=20 situation.

On 12 and 13 December 2002, an = international=20 workshop on "Education for rural people: targeting the poor" = was=20 hold at the FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy, with the = presence=20 of approximately 50 representatives of bilateral and = multilateral=20 cooperation agencies. The objective of this meeting was = to=20 establish effective collaboration to promote Education for = rural=20 people within the framework of the "Education for All" = action plans,=20 now existing at the national level. The United Nations = agencies=20 attending included include the World Bank, the International = Labour=20 Organization (ILO), the World Food Programme (WFP), the = United=20 Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), FAO and UNESCO.

From 5 to 7 November 2002, the = workshop on=20 "Education for rural development in Asia: experiences = and=20 policy lessons" held in Bangkok, Thailand, brought = together representatives of the agriculture and = education=20 ministries of China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, = Myanmar, The Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, as = well as=20 several NGOs. This regional meeting took on a sense of = added=20 urgency in that three-fourths of the world's = illiterates (that=20 is, 660 million people) live in Asia, where one child = out of=20 four does not attend primary school.

Workshop: "Education = for rural=20 development in Asia:
experiences and = policy=20 lessons", 5-7 November=20 = 2002.

On=20 3 September 2002, the FAO-UNESCO partnership in support of = Education=20 for rural people was officially launched by FAO's=20 Director-General at the World Summit on Sustainable = Development=20 in Johannesburg, South Africa. The flagship's objectives are = to:=20

Build awareness of the importance of Education for = rural=20 people as a crucial step to achieving the Millennium goals = of=20 eradicating extreme poverty and hunger and achieving = universal=20 primary education.=20
Overcome the urban-rural education gap.=20
Increase access to basic Education for rural people.=20
Improve the quality of basic education in rural areas. =
Foster the national capacity to plan and implement = basic=20 education plans to address the learning needs of rural = people.=20

A joint publication by the FAO and UNESCO, = entitled=20 "Education for rural development: Towards new policies=20 responses", presents new perspectives on Education for = rural=20 development. This work considers basic education in primary = schools=20 to be a priority, but also emphasizes professional training = and=20 higher education, based on experiences in Africa, Asia, and = Latin=20 America.

For more information, please consult the = following=20 papers:=20

Launching a new flagship on Education for = rural=20 people=20
Director-General's speech at the launching of = the new=20 FAO-UNESCO flagship programme
Workshop on "Education for rural development in Asia:=20 Experiences and Policy Lessons", Bangkok, Thailand, 5-7 = November=20 2002 Soon to be on SD Dimension: http://www.fao.org.sd/=20
Aid Agencies Workshop on "Education for rural people:=20 Targeting the poor", Rome, Italy, 12-13 December 2002 Soon = to be=20 on SD Dimension: http://www.fao.org/sd=20
New=20 publication on "Education for rural development: Towards = new=20 policy responses":

A final report of the = workshops=20 will be available from nicoletta.rossi@fao.org and the joint = FAO-UNESCO=20 publication on Education for rural development from information@iiep.unesco.org. =

Click here for reading an interview on this = initiative=20 with Ms Lavinia Gasperini. Click here for listening to it.=20 =