The United Nations and Education
"I have seen the power of education in my life , my country and our world. I urge all the world¡¯s leaders to give priority to Global Education First Initiative in their national policies. I count on all of you to make education for all a reality ¨C so that the people of today can build a safer and more sustainable tomorrow."
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, United Nations
Global Education for All Meeting, UNESCO, November 2012
Education is a human right, like the right to have proper food or a place to live. It empowers people with the knowledge they need to take care of themselves and their families , reduce hunger and build more sustainable societies . An additional year of schooling can increase a person¡¯s earnings by 10%. Educated parents are more likely to use available health services and provide good care to their children . Each additional year of a mother¡¯s schooling reduces the likelihood that a child will die in infancy by 5% to 10%. Education also equips people with the sense of responsibility they need to sustain our planet. It does so by improving students¡¯ understanding of local ecologies and changing the way they consume .
In 2000, the world¡¯s governments adopted six Education for All goals and eight Millennium Development Goals. UNESCO together with UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF and the World Bank, is working every day to achieve these goals. The first years of the millennium were marked by unprecedented progress worldwide, especially towards universal primary education . The number of out-of-school primary-aged children dropped by almost 37 million worldwide. But since then progress has slowed. This is why the Global Education First Initiative must put education back on top of the global development agenda.
? 2103 United Nations