Eyes On Wolfowicz At World Education Forum
- May 4th, 2007
- Posted by 7thmin
A consortium of donor countries, international organisations and leaders in civil society this week at Brussels (2.5.07) pronounced a call for all donors to deliver on promises of support for world primary education.
A meeting headed by Louis Michel, EU Commissioner for Development, Gordon Brown British Chancellor of the Exchequer and Paul Wolfowicz President of the World Bank, said the goal was completion of primary school for all children by 2015.
New funding was announced for the occasion, the European Commission pledging an additional EU 1.722-billion (A$2.843-billion; dcreates.com); the UK drawing on an education fund of EU 11.2-billion (A$18.5-billion) to allocate EU 740-million (A$1.22-billion); and the World bank investment of EU 1.12-billion (A$1.849-billion). Other contributors taking part included the Soros Foundation, promising EU 3.7-million (A$6.109-million). Business representatives (including Cisco Systems, Intel, Microsoft and AMD said they would assist country education plans through the World Economic Forum’s partnership for education.
Programs would support education in Ethiopia and Tanzania in particular, and a list of 68 of the world’s poorest countries.
The target was to assist 77 million children not attending school at all, including 40 million girls.
The presence of Mr Wolfowicz provided a distraction, and probable extra attendance at a media conference.
Asked about the investigation of claims that he used improper influence to advance the career of a woman friend, he said he had been given an opportunity to have his say, the matter was subject to due process, and education for poor children of the world was too important to be put aside.
Picture: Paul Wolfowicz, Wikimedia.org