Financing Adult Education for Development
International Conference, Bonn, 23 – 24 June 2009
1. The Conference The International Council of Adult Education (ICAE), the European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA), the Asian South-Pacific Bureau of Adult Education (ASPBAE) and the Institute for International Cooperation of the German Adult Education Association (dvv international) will co-host a conference on financing adult education for development.
The conference will bring together key representatives, decision makers and practitioners in adult education and lifelong learning from the South, East and West with representatives of ministries, donor agencies, development banks and foundations. Additionally, experts and representatives of international organisations, professional agencies, research institutions and other actors working in the field of development oriented education policy will be invited.
The conference will at the same time present and discuss the experience of 40 years of cooperation between the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and dvv international in promoting youth and adult education globally. The conference receives strong support from BMZ.
2. Why this Conference? Global attempts, like the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the Monterrey Consensus on Financing, the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness were initiated to support a more comprehensive and effective development policy. There is currently follow-up through the High Level Forum in Accra, and the Doha International Conference on Financing for Development.
Education for All (EFA) targets improved access, quality, and gender parity of the education, learning and training sector. No doubt, the above initiatives should have a direct or indirect impact on the development of adult education as well. However, in most of these processes our field is playing a marginal role only. This is especially true for the EFA framework, which almost read as “Except For Adults”. The Fast Track Initiative (FTI) has even up to now no component to support youth and adult literacy. However, recent conferences on global literacy in the context of the UN Literacy Decade carry recommendations to ask for this.
On the other hand, several interesting developments and initiatives could be witnessed in the global lifelong learning movement for the last decade: linking literacy to livelihood skills training and social issues, the genesis of HIV/AIDS prevention, the revival of target group and labour market oriented vocational education and training (VET), the transformation of parts of university studies into lifelong learning institutions, and the many initiatives for cooperation between civil society and the governmental sector are only a few examples.
We observe changes in the donor community as well. New instruments like budget and sector support and a wide range of new instruments developed over the last years. New actors have emerged. However, again the non-formal education sector as well as youth and adult education are seldom included.
In May 2009, CONFINTEA VI, the UNESCO World Conference on Adult Education will bring Governments and adult educators around the world to Brazil to reflect on “Living and Learning for a Viable Future – The Power of Adult Learning”. BoCAED, a month later, will provide the opportunity to reflect on the challenges and chances in financing these new developments.
3. Broad Objectives of the Conference The conference will bring together experts from main donors and adult education agencies. The objectives for the event are:
· To reflect on the impact of recent development policies and financing mechanisms to strengthen youth and adult learning in the South
· To discuss the challenges development policy is facing and to identify the role and the needs of adult and lifelong learning in this context
· To share best adult learning practices and experiences in development action and programmes
· To create a possibility for networking between actors in adult education and major donor agencies
4. Conference Organising Committees The joint conference planning and organisation will be through a committee including representatives of all partners: Paul Belanger of ICAE, Gina Ebner of EAEA, Maria Almazan Khan of ASPBAE, and Heribert Hinzen of dvv international.
The detailed management of the Conference will be the responsibility of a core group within dvv international, consisting of Uwe Gartenschlaeger, Laurence Gillois, Gisela Waschek and Tania Czerwinski.
Bonn, Montevideo, Brussels, Mumbai, November 2008
