In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate 

Mr. Secretary-General,

Mr. Director-General,

Honourable Ministers,

Ladies and gentlemen.

Allow me to express my gratitude for your dedication and hard work in making this event a success.

The question being asked — rightly — by those both inside and outside UNESCO is: what are the next steps after this meeting? 

At the heart of such a question, perhaps, is the despair and frustration we feel because the international community has agreed values, resolutions and laws — including the right to education for all. 

And yet we are unable to reach these goals — at least for now — either because of lack of resources or because of complications caused by crises and wars.

I will not repeat what I said in New York a month or so ago, at the Meeting on Financing Education within the Millennium Development Goals — words I believe to be fully compatible with the theme of our conference. 

However, I reaffirm here that to achieve the goal of education for all, it is imperative to overcome the cycle of crises and wars that seriously threatens every aspect of educational systems.

Education for all depends on more than finance. 

There are aspects that are more important.

Here is a story that shows this.

In January 2007, the initiative "Solidarity with Iraqi Universities" was launched in Doha, aimed at building partnerships to develop training and experience-sharing programs.

Some scholars expressed a desire to undergo training courses — not in academic fields but in the field of self defence — the better to protect themselves. 

Sadly, some of them were targeted before they even had the chance to learn to save their own lives.

In crisis zones everywhere, we can see education being threatened. 

Look at the decline in the number of female students studying in the Gaza Strip, because of the siege.

Can we even begin to speak of universalizing and improving education while the fundamental right to education is violated?

Adding to the danger, these crises result in desperate and frustrated students seeking refuge — where no classrooms are available — in dark alleyways, rendering themselves vulnerable. 

We know too well what may happen there.

Wars, crises, and the destruction they cause to educational systems become primary breeding grounds for terrorism. 

We must prevent conflict to prevent this scourge.

Ladies and gentlemen,

We face a great challenge, requiring all of us to take a stand, to persist and to find a solution. 

Since I made a call at the Conference on Literacy challenges in the Arab Region that took place in Doha, we have seen no real change to the protection of education in Iraq or other places. 

The system is unfortunately still vulnerable to being targeted.

You will agree with me that we should not limit ourselves to describing and analyzing this situation, but must adopt procedures to change it.

As far as I am concerned, this procedural approach has two fundamental pillars:

The first is a long-term strategy, aimed at collecting an archive to educate young people about values and developing principles of human rights that are against wars and crises.

The archive should document all the violations of education, particularly where students, teachers and academics are targeted. 

By commemorating these violations, we will encourage new generations to adopt attitudes such that they will avoid the recurrence of such tragedies.

Here, I quote Mahatma Gandhi: 'If we are to reach real peace in the world, we shall have to begin with the children.' 

This is our duty, and it is that of UNESCO. 

In your name, I invite Mr. Director-General Matsuura, who is aware of the gravity of this situation, to find a way to convey this message to all the students in the world through curricula or other means.

The second pillar concerns putting the ideas that have come out of this conference into practice. 

In this regard, I invite you to set up a working group to prepare a program that follows up on the recommendations to formulate mechanisms that will protect the educational system.

Doha is ready to host this working group at the earliest possible opportunity.

For weeks, the international community has been alert to and fighting the financial crisis using every means possible.

I believe that protecting education in crisis situations also requires such mobilization from the international community.

Thank you for listening. I hope we are successful.