CONFINTEA VI Conference - Day 1
David Harvey, Belem, Brazil - 12/1/2009
Today the full CONFINTEA meeting convened, organized by UNESCO. 142 countries are represented here and 46 education ministers are in attendance. The US delegation is led by Brenda Dann-Messier, Assistant Secretary of Education. As the meeting opened, the US moved to amend the UN rules by including a statement about seeking consensus, which was promptly amended by the South Africa delegate who urged open and vigorous debate. Rousing speeches were given this morning by Princess Laurentian of the Netherlands -- a friend to ProLiteracy. The show was stolen by former Mali President Alpha Oumer Konare, who declared that adult literacy is empowerment and liberation! After meeting with 5 local ProLiteracy partners in Kenya, Nigeria, Colombia, Bangladesh, and Bolivia, we heard numerous reports on the status of adult literacy since the last CONFINTEA in 1997 in Munich. The news is not good. There has been some progress in areas of financing, policy, and literacy rates. But on the whole, the global community is failing and the number of illiterates is growing -- ahead of the growing world population. And 2/3rds of the illiterate population are women! Soon Magdelene Gathoni Motsi will speak -- the founder of Kenya Adult Learners Association, a Nation-wide adult learner organization founded in 1990 with help from ProLiteracy! Magadelene is going to mention the work of ProLiteracy from the podium!!
Today the full CONFINTEA meeting convened, organized by UNESCO. 142 countries are represented here and 46 education ministers are in attendance. The US delegation is led by Brenda Dann-Messier, Assistant Secretary of Education. As the meeting opened, the US moved to amend the UN rules by including a statement about seeking consensus, which was promptly amended by the South Africa delegate who urged open and vigorous debate. Rousing speeches were given this morning by Princess Laurentian of the Netherlands -- a friend to ProLiteracy. The show was stolen by former Mali President Alpha Oumer Konare, who declared that adult literacy is empowerment and liberation! After meeting with 5 local ProLiteracy partners in Kenya, Nigeria, Colombia, Bangladesh, and Bolivia, we heard numerous reports on the status of adult literacy since the last CONFINTEA in 1997 in Munich. The news is not good. There has been some progress in areas of financing, policy, and literacy rates. But on the whole, the global community is failing and the number of illiterates is growing -- ahead of the growing world population. And 2/3rds of the illiterate population are women! Soon Magdelene Gathoni Motsi will speak -- the founder of Kenya Adult Learners Association, a Nation-wide adult learner organization founded in 1990 with help from ProLiteracy! Magadelene is going to mention the work of ProLiteracy from the podium!!
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