"Nordic Solidarity" Conference on the role of education in policies for development co-operation, organised within the framework of Norway's presidency in the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2002 Holmenkollen Park Hotel, Oslo 3-4 June 2002 Norway holds the presidency in the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2002. As part of the program a ministerial conference will be held with the title "Nordic Solidarity, the Role of Education in Policies for development co-operation". The conference is being prepared in close co-operation with the Council's secretariat. On the Norwegian side the planning is shared between the Ministry of Education and Research and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including the Norwegian Agency for Development Co-operation. A preparatory Nordic meeting was held in Oslo on 11 January 2002, with representatives from the ministries concerned in the Nordic countries. The meeting served as a forum for discussion and exchange of ideas on the programme of the conference, and helped to identify relevant key note speakers and experts to be invited. Background: The Nordic countries have through their agencies for development co-operation for a number of years been strongly involved in providing education as part of national policies for development co-operation. There are reasons to believe that increased co-ordination and cooperation in this field may enable the Nordic countries to offer improved and more holistic assistance to 3 rd world countries. On this background Norway has, as part of its presidency for Nordic co-operation in 2002, decided to organise a conference on the role of education in policies for development co-operation, under the heading "Nordic solidarity". This is a policy area affecting both ministries responsible for education and for international development in the Nordic countries. In the case of Norway, a Framework Agreement has been signed between the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research and the Norwegian Agency for development co-operation on professional assistance and competence in the field of policy formulation and systemic development, as part of a sector-wide approach to education in development policies. Similar arrangements have so far not been established in the other Nordic other countries, but the Norwegian framework agreement seems to attract considerable interest. The conference "Nordic solidarity" will be based partly on the Dakar Framework of Action on Education for All: Meeting our Collective Commitments, adopted by the "World Education Forum", Dakar, 26-28 April 2000. Through this Framework of Action the participants committed themselves to ensuring - among other objectives - that by 2015 all children have access to education as a fundamental human right. When organising the conference "Nordic solidarity", Norway wants to adopt an enlarged perspective on Nordic co-operation, focussing on the role of education in policies for development and on how the Nordic countries can co-operate in this field. The Nordic countries should as a collective effort try to reduce inequalities between affluent and developing countries. This may be better obtained if the Nordic countries agree to co-ordinate
their policies for international development, both directly in relation to partner countries in the South and through relevant international organisations. Format of the conference It is foreseen that the ministers - together with a limited number of invited keynote speakers/experts, according to the topic to be discussed - are seated around a table of a horseshoe format. The discussion should as much as possible be free and informal, on the basis of short presentations. More extensive written contributions may be circulated in advance. Other participants are seated in circles behind the ministers/invited experts. The conference should be open to the press. Objective of the conference More efficient provision of education as part of development co-operation, through improved co-ordination, particularly when it comes to education sector development and the follow-up of the Dakar Framework of Action on Education for All (EFA), in three major fields: Between the Nordic countries and their partner countries in the South Between the Nordic countries and relevant multilateral organisations Between ministries responsible for education as well as for international development in the Nordic countries Topics to be discussed The role of education in relation to major challenges posed by the development in the South, such as national poverty reduction strategies, and how to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Which are the opportunities and challenges provided by a closer co-ordination of measures and policies in the Nordic countries, in relation to both partner countries in the South and other donors, on a bilateral and multilateral scale? Follow-up of the Dakar Framework of Action on Education for All (EFA) Which are the opportunities and challenges provided by a closer coordination of measures and policies between the Nordic countries in relation to the partner countries? Which are the opportunities and challenges provided by a closed coordination of measures and policies between the Nordic countries, in relation to organisations such as UNESCO, the World Bank and UNICEF? Sector-based development based on a closer co-operation between the authorities responsible for education and development co-operation, both on a national and an international level. What does a sector development approach imply in terms of coordination and cooperation between the authorities responsible for education and international development? Which are the requirements in terms of closer co-operation between the donors? Target group The main target group will be the ministers responsible for education and for international development, together with relevant authorities and agencies in the Nordic countries. Representatives from partner countries in the South and multilateral organisations such as UNESCO, the World Bank and UNICEF, as well as a limited number of independent key note speakers/experts, are also invited in order to enrich the debate
Maximum number of participants: 100 persons. Each of the Nordic countries is invited to appoint a delegation of up to 16 persons. As a follow-up to the conference, the participants are invited to attend a meeting of experts during the afternoon on Tuesday 4 June, closing at approx. 5 p.m. Date and place of the conference The conference will be held in Oslo. The city of Oslo is within easy reach by international flights, with a direct rail connection between the airport and the centre of the city (approx. 20 minutes travelling time). The conference will take place from 3 to 4 June on Holmenkollen Park Hotel Rica in Oslo, starting with a buffet luncheon at 11 a.m. first day and closing with a luncheon at 12 o clock the following day.
Preliminary Programme Monday 3 June 10.00 Registration 11.00 Buffet luncheon 12.30 Words of Welcome, Mr. Sören Christensen, Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers, 12.35 Opening of the Conference, Ms. Kristin Clemet, Norwegian Minister of Education and Research THEME 1: Education a Weapon against Poverty? Moderator during 1 st session: Mr. Harri Holkeri, former Prime Minister of Finland and President of the 55 th General Assembly of the United Nations 12.55-13.10 UN s Millenium Development Goals - the Role of Education, Ms. Hilde F. Johnson, Norwegian Minister of International Development 13.10-13.25 The role of education in National Poverty Reduction Strategies, Ruth Kagia, Director, Education, Human Development Network, World Bank 13.25-13.50 Experiences from the South, Mr. R. Gowinda, Professor, National Institute for Educational Planning and Administration, New Delhi, India 13.50 15.00 Discussion 15.00-15.30: Coffee break THEME 2: Education for All Moderator during the 2 nd session: Mr. Tómas Ingi Olrich, Iceland s Minister of Education (?) 15.30-15.45 Education for All - a Fundamental Human Right Ms. Katarina Tomasevski, Professor, special rapporteur for the "Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights" on the right of education 15.45-16.00 Education for All - the Role of UNESCO, Mr. John Daniel, Assistant Director General, UNESCO 16.00-16.15 Education for All Experiences at Country Level Mr.Cream Wright, Director for Education, UNICEF
16.15-16.45 Coffee break 16.45-18.00 Discussion 19.00 Dinner hosted by the Norwegian Ministers Tuesday 4 June THEME 3: Sector-based development Moderator: Ms. Ulla Törnæs, Danish Minister of Education 09.00-09.15 Sector-based Development Co-operation, a Critical View, Professor Joel Samoff, Stanford University, African Studies Centre 09.15-09.30 Sector-based Education Aid seen from a Partner Country, Mr. Joseph Mungai, Minister of Education and Culture, United Republic of Tanzania 09.30-09.45 Co-operation between Authorities responsible for Education and for Development Co-operation Dialogue and Partnership, Ms. Sissel Volan, NORAD, former chair of the ADEA Steering Committee (ADEA/Association for the Development of Education in Africa) 09.45-11.30 Discussion 11.30-12.0 Conclusions 12.00 Luncheon