EFA Week 2005

24-30 April 2005
The EFA Week 2005 campaign is called “Send my Friend to School” and involves children and adult learners making life-size cut-outs of people (“friends”) from cardboard or fabric to symbolize the 104 million out-of-school children and 800 million illiterate adults.

Education Ministers and other elected representatives will be invited to sign specific pledges on these cut-outs during the week.

Many countries will also continue their EFA Week or Global Action Week activities beyond 30 April. Find out more about EFA Week 2005 from the Global Campaign for Education site and UNESCO's EFA Week site.

UNESCO Regional Seminar on the Implication of the World Trade Organization on Higher Education in Asia and the Pacific

27- 29 April 2005

Seoul, Korea

Organized by the UNESCO Forum on Higher Education , Research and Knowledge, and the Korean National Commission for UNESCO

Mode details about the seminar (pdf)

MAY

Regional UNGEI (UN Girl's Education Initiative) Meeting
12 May 2005, 8:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
UNICEF EAPRO, 5th Floor Conference Room
Bangkok
Meeting agenda

Brain Body and Learning: Insights Into A Better Quality of Student Learning and Achievement
27 May 2005
The Ambassador Hotel, Bangkok
A one-day workshop organized by the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO), the Thai Ministry of Education and the Integrated Human Dynamics Sdn. Bhd., Malaysia

Workshop on Disability, Statistics and Measurement
30 May to 1 June 2005
UNESCAP, Bangkok

JUNE

16th Thematic Working Group on EFA Meeting
3 June 2005, 09:00 – 11:45 a.m.
United Nations Conference Centre, Bangkok
Meeting Agenda

Writers' Workshop to prepare a manual on "Guidelines for Action to Include Children with Disabilities in Schools and in EFA Monitoring"
6-10 June 2005
Windsor Suites Hotel, Bangkok
Organized by the AIMS Unit, UNESCO Bangkok

Around 50 participants will attend the workshop, including experts and representatives from Brunei, Cambodia, Samoa, Thailand and Viet Nam where case studies were conducted. Visit the AIMS Website for more information about the workshop and the manual.

Expert Meeting on Regional Research Studies on Community Learning Centres (CLCs)
7-9 June 2005
Novotel Lotus Hotel, Bangkok

Organized by UNESCO Bangkok's APPEAL Unit, the meeting will include participants from Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam and Lebanon, representing the Arab States. Results of the meeting will be presented during the Regional Forum on CLCs in Shanghai, China from 12 to 16 September 2005. Download the Meeting schedule (pdf) and Meeting background (pdf).

Regional Workshop on Life Skills through Non-Formal Education
13-17 June 2005
Beijing and Baoding, China
Workshop organized by UNESCO Bangkok, the Institute for Education, and China's National Committee

On-line Conversation About Child Labour and the Right to Education with the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education
15 June 2005 -- all day (10:00-22h00 GMT)
http://www.hrea.org/conversations/child-labour.php

9th Practitioners’ Forum on the Human Rights in Development: Promoting Human Rights Education
17 June 2005, 9:00-12:00am
UNCC Conference Room F, Bangkok

Organized by the Thematic Working Group on Human Rights in Development, the forum aims at assisting the participants to integrate human rights into their respective programmes and is normally attended by about 40 development practitioners from NGOs, academia, development cooperation agencies, UN agencies and diplomatic missions. More about the forum.

JULY

Training Seminar on Decentralized Education / EFA Planning
4-15 July 2005
UNESCO Bangkok
This is an intensive course for EFA planners jointly organized by UNESCO Bangkok and UNESCO Teheran for a group of 15-20 Iranian education planners.

Workshop on community-based rehabilitation and poverty alleviation of persons with disabilities
5-6 July 2005
UNESCAP, Bangkok

For more information visit the UNESCAP Website on disabilities.

10th Session of the Thematic Working Group on Disability-related Concerns
7-8 July 2005
UNESCAP, Bangkok

For more information visit the UNESCAP Website on disabilities.

SEAMEO QEE Regional Workshop on Special Educational Needs: Specific Learning Difficulties – Dyslexia”
12-13 July 2005
Grand Plaza Park Royal Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Organized by the Ministry of Education, Malaysia
Contact person: Mr. Zaidi Abdul Hamid at zaidihamid307@yahoo.com

Second EFA Cluster Experts & Ministerial Meetings
16-19 July 2005
Tehran, Iran
Ministers of Education from Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan and Turkmenistan will meet from 18-19 July to assess the progress towards meeting EFA goals in the four cluster countries. EFA focal points and education planners/experts will meet from 16-17 July, prior to the Ministerial meeting. Hosted by the Iranian Ministry of Education in cooperation with the National commission for UNESCO. Meeting background.

Sixth Meeting of the Working Group on EFA
19-21 July 2005
UNESCO Headquarters, Paris

Regional Experts Meeting on "Strategies and Plan Definition in the Field of Literacy for All (within LIFE Initiative)"
25-27 July 2005
Islamabad
Experts from the UNESCO Tehran Cluster, ISESCO Regional Offices countries Ministries of Education, universities and national literacy organizations will attend the meeting and help draw up national literacy strategies and plans within the framework of LIFE - Literacy Initiative for the Excluded. Meeting background.

AUGUST

Pacific Regional Workshop on Disability
1-4 August
Nadi, Fiji

Statistical Capacity-Building Workshop: Using Education Statistics and Indicators for Planning
8-12 August 2005
Hanoi, Viet Nam
The workshop will be jointly organized by UNESCO Bangkok's Assessment, Information Systems, Monitoring and Statistics (AIMS) Unit, the UNESCO Office in Hanoi and Viet Nam’s Ministry of Education and Training. For more information contact aims@unescobkk.org 

Access to language and literacy for isolated deaf infants and youth by providing visually-based cognitive and linguistic stimulation through community partnerships
11 August 2005
UNESCO Conference Room, 5/f, UNESCO Bangkok
A senior level consultation co-sponsored by UNESCO Bangkok and the Galludet University (Washington D.C.)

UNESCO Regional Education Week
15-19 August 2005
Windsor Suites Hotel
Bangkok, Thailand
UNESCO Bangkok is organizing the annual Regional Education Week, which will focus on capacity-building and information sharing with regard to new programmes, approaches and coordination mechanisms for UNESCO education programme managers and education staff.

Reflections on Four Decades of Language Development and Bilingual Education in Southeast Asia
18 August 2005, 1:30-3:30 p.m.
2/F Institute of Language and Culture for Rural Development, Mahidol University, Bangkok
The lecture is organized by the Institute of Language and Culture for Rural Development of Mahidol University and SIL International. SIL researchers Dr. Kenneth Gregerson and Dr. Marilyn Gregerson will be the resource persons. The lecture is open to the public, free of charge. For more information, download the press release or contact Khun Prapha Sri at  +66 2 800 2308 extension 3211 or Khun Kusalin at extension 3209.

ASEAN Ministers of Education Retreat
18-19 August 2005
Four Seasons Hotel, Bangkok

Hosted by the Thailand Ministry of Education

International Conference on Improving Rural Education Quality Through ICT
22 - 24 August 2005
Lanzhou, China
The conference is organized by the European Union-China Gansu Basic Education Project (EU-China GBEP). The three-day conference would include strategic keynote presentations, paper presentations, panel and group discussions and visits to rural teachers’ resource centres. For more information visit the EU-China GBEP Website.

Regional UNGEI Meeting Agenda
25 August 2005, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
ILO, UNESCAP Building
Bangkok, Thailand
Meeting Agenda

SEPTEMBER

International Literacy Day
8 September 2005

Inclusion and the Removal of Barriers to Learning, Participation and Development (Inclusive and Child-Friendly Schools Emerging in Asia)
26-29 September 2005
Bukittinggi, West Sumatra, Indonesia
The symposium, which is sponsored jointly by Braillo Norway, the International Development Partners(IDP), Indonesia's Directorate of Special Education, and UNESCO will focus on developing an inclusive and child-friendly society; pre- and in-service teacher education and training; early childhood care and development; non-formal education; and the role of international organizations, NGOs and DPOs in the implementation of Inclusive Education and Child-Friendly Education Programmes. Know more about the symposium from the IDP website.

OCTOBER

World Teachers' Day
5 October 2005

The First Ministerial Round Table on Education for All
7-8 October 2005
UNESCO Headquarters, Paris

Workshop for South Asian countries on implementation of EFA plans at central and decentralized levels
10-19 October
Bangkok, Thailand
UNESCO Bangkok’s EPR Unit and UNESCO New Delhi will conduct an Intensive Training Workshop for South Asian Countries on the implementation of National EFA plans of action. Participants from Bhutan, the Maldives and Sri Lanka will attend the workshop. For more information, email epr@unescobkk.org

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
17 October

Conference on Disability: A Global Perspective on Innovation and Progress
17-18 October
UNESCAP, Bangkok

For more information visit the UNESCAP Website on Disabilities.

Workshop on the implementation of the Biwako Millennium Framework: development of national plan of action on disability
19-21 October
UNESCAP, Bangkok

For more information visit the UNESCAP Website on Disabilities. 

International Adult Learners Week 2005
Education for All in an Era of Increasing Mobility: The Implications for Adult Learning
24 – 26 October 2005
Oslo, Norway
Jointly organized and supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research and the UNESCO Institute for Education (UIE), and in cooperation with the Norwegian UNESCO Commission, the Norwegian National Institute for Adult Education (Vox) and the Norwegian Association for Adult Education (NAAE), the event aims to provide a forum for exchange, policy dialogue and advocacy on the importance of adult and lifelong learning. For more information, please contact: Bettina Bochynek, UIE at b.bochynek@unesco.org or download the press release.

Seventh National EFA Coordinators' Meeting and joint Mid-Decade Assessment Planning Meeting
24 to 29 October
Bangkok, Thailand
This year's National EFA Coordinators’ Meeting will focus on the progress made in the region regarding EFA implementation, with a special focus on Early Childhood Care and Education as well as planning for the Regional Mid-Decade Assessment of progress towards meeting the EFA goals. Representatives from 21 countries in East, South-East and South Asia are expected to attend the meeting. For more information, visit the Asia and the Pacific EFA Website, download the terms of reference (TOR) in pdf or email efa@unescobkk.org.aims@unescobkk.org

NOVEMBER

First Thailand Education Congress
1-3 November 2005
Muang Thong Thani, Chaeng Wattana Road, Nonthaburi, Thailand
UNESCO Bangkok's APEID Unit is collaborating with Thailand's Ministry of Education through the Office of Education Council and Rajabhat Institute Suan Dusit to organize the First Thailand Education Congress. The event will be held on the occasion of the World Teachers' Day 2005 and in honour of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn's 50th birthday celebration. The theme of this event is “Teacher and Education Personnel Reform”. Visit APEID's Website for more information.

Global press launch of the 2006 Education for All (EFA) Global Monitoring Report
9 November 2005
London

National Workshop on Partnership for Comprehensive School Health and Nutrition: Focusing Resources on Effective School Health
17-19 November
Tashkent, Uzbekistan
The workshop is organized by the Uzbekistan Ministry of Education in cooperation with UNESCO Tashkent, Bangkok and Paris, and UNICEF Uzbekistan. The main objectives of the workshop is to discuss the current situation of school health and nutrition program in Uzbekistan and develop a national action plan for a comprehensive school health and nutrition program by adopting the FRESH (Focusing Resources on Effective School Health) approach in Uzbekistan. For more information about prorgamme, visit the Asia and the Pacific EFA Website page on FRESH, which is one of the EFA flagship projects. Or visit UNESCO Bangkok's HIV/AIDS Coordination and School Health Unit Website.

Regional UNGEI (UN Girl's Education Initiative) Meeting
22 November 2005, 3:00-5:00 p.m.
UNESCO Bangkok Office
Bangkok, Thailand
The group will discuss, among others, good practices in girls' education, an update on advocacy briefs, and the UNGEI Technical Meeting and Global Advisory Committee (GAC) Meeting from 26-27 November 2005 in Beijing.

28th SEAMEO High Officials Meeting
22-24 November 2005
Regent Cha-Am Beach Resort, Petchburi, Thailand
The Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO), an intergovernmental organisation promoting regional cooperation through education, science, and culture will hold its annual high officials meeting. High officials or representatives from the Ministries of Education of SEAMEO Member States, the SEAMEO Regional Centres and their senior staff will participate in the meeting. The meeting scrutinizes proposed programmes, finances, legal aspects and other important matters concerning the administration and operation of the Organization. Recommendations are forwarded to the SEAMEO Council Conference, the annual meeting of the Ministers of Education of the 10 Member countries, for consideration or approval. Visit SEAMEO's Website for more information.

Pacific Workshop on Inclusive Education
"Getting All Children into School and Helping Them Learn"
23 – 25 November 2005
Apia, Samoa
UNESCO and the Samoan Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture is jointly organizing a workshop on inclusive education specific for the Pacific region. The purpose of the workshop is to share experiences of inclusive education practices in the Pacific region and to develop recommendations on how to further promote it within the framework of EFA. For more information about the workshop, visit UNESCO Bangkok's Inclusive Education page or email efa@unescobkk.org

Regional launch of the 2006 EFA Global Monitoring Report
25 November 2005
Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre
Bangkok Metropolitan Area, Thailand
The regional launch of the 2006 GMR will coincide with UNESCO's 60th Anniversary and the Celebration of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn's UNESCO Goodwill Ambassadorship. For more information about the launch, email efa@unescobkk.org.

UNGEI Technical Meeting and Global Advisory Committee (GAC) Meeting
26-27 November 2005
Beijing, China
The meeting will take place as pre-conference event of the EFA High Level Group Meeting also in Beijing.

Fifth Meeting of the High-Level Group on EFA
28-30 November 2005
Beijing, China

DECEMBER

World AIDS Day
1 December 2005

International Day of Disabled Persons
3 December 2005

If you would like to post an event, please contact us at efa@unescobkk.org