High-level Roundtable Luncheon on the Central Role of Education in the MDGs

United Nations, New York, 22 September 2010

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen

Earlier today I participated in a meeting for the Millennium Development Goals Advocacy Group and was, frankly, relieved to see many notable figures genuinely concerned about the challenges before us in meeting the goals to which we committed 10 years ago.

I was also encouraged when I saw that other members of the group recognized the important role education plays in meeting the other MDGs.

I have taken the liberty of sharing with my fellow advocates the paper prepared for our discussion today and I was optimistic when I noted the enthusiasm with which they received it.

Today we will discuss how quality primary education is a powerful force in achieving all of the other MDGs and we will review studies that demonstrate the connections between education and the achievement of goals in reducing poverty and child mortality, improving maternal health, preventing the spread of disease and ensuring environmental sustainability.

It is important that we advocate for an educational component to be included in all of the work toward meeting the other MDGs.

This is why I look forward to an energetic discussion on the recommendations presented in the report under discussion.

But there is also another important issue to consider.

All of us here are cognizant of the fact that education, while it has prominence on the global agenda, often falls off the priority list when it comes to the protection of education in times of conflict and emergency.

This has been of central importance to me since I began my work with UNESCO and has continued through my work with the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations.

The report before us reaffirms my belief that the other MDGs cannot be met unless the Education for All goals are given top priority across all regions, including those torn by natural disasters and political conflicts.

There can be no peace and prosperity without education. 

Conflicts are a major threat to human security and to hard-won MDG goals.

Years after a conflict has ended, large populations of refugees remained displaced, with limited employment, education opportunities and inadequate health services.

Countries that have lost educational infrastructure as a result of war are less likely to reach the Education for All goals for 2015.

Education is particularly important in times of armed conflict

because it can provide a sense of normalcy in an environment of chaos. It is conducive to democracy and peace because it has the potential to instill new values and behaviors, as well as help reduce economic, social and ethnic polarization.

Therefore, it is a sad fact that billions of dollars are spent on arms by countries around the world every year.

This money would have enabled those countries to put every child in school and to reduce child mortality by two-thirds by 2015, fulfilling two of the Millennium Development Goals.

May be it is too much to ask to stop wars or dream of a conflict free world.

Education demands security, safety, and sustainability and those who attack education and impede access to it are enemies of civilization and they constitute an obstacle to the right of Education.

Many of you here today played an important role in ensuring the U.N General Assembly passed a Resolution titled the Right to Education in Emergency Situations in July 2010.

Under this measure, and for the first time, governments of the world explicitly commit to physically protecting educators and educational facilities (the indicators of our civilization as I see them) at all levels, in times of conflict and disaster.

This is an excellent beginning, but it is only a start. It is useful to have international laws and guidelines but we must ensure that realistic national strategies are in place to ensure these laws and guidelines are met.

We need to monitor progress on education goals, in both stable and unstable environments.

The international community must exercise authority under humanitarian and human rights laws to protect educational facilities and educators.

One more point I would like to make is that for me MDG #2 is not only about access to primary education: it is about access to quality education.

Access alone is not enough. We must ensure it is access to quality and that the education introduced in primary education is a foundation for a lifelong curiosity for learning.

We have to make sure that the best possible education is offered which will serve as a foundation for the future. And we have to protect students, schools and educators.

We have to protect our civilization.

Thank You.