UNESCO. General Conference; 30th; Records ... - unesdoc - Unesco

as small island States, will never be able to provide sustainable markets for our industries, especially the cultural
ones. Our perspective must therefore be global. And we would do well to remember that, in changing our
perspective, the technological advances of the last few decades in fact make this task easier for us.
35.14 But what does all of this have to do with UNESCO? Very quickly, if we are truly living in an era in
which relations are defined by interdependence and cooperation, it must be realized that in spite of their small
size, small States can make, and have already made, significant contributions to the realm of global cultural,
political, economic and environmental issues. I have of course referred to contributions by gentlemen like
Sir Garfield Sobers of Barbados and Nobel Laureates Sir Arthur Lewison and Derek Walker of Saint Lucia.
Without our participation the international community would be lacking. Where we may need assistance,
however, from organizations such as UNESCO, is in the preparatory stages to eliminate or alleviate any handicap
we suffer from at the start of the transition process. We need help in being put in a position where we can control
our destiny to the maximum of our ability. While we are not seeking handouts we are seeking an equal
opportunity to be active and influential in a global capacity as sovereign entities. It is with the support of the
international community in securing our viability that we can effectively enrich the global order to the benefit of
all. Mr President, while UNESCO has been promoting visibility of small Member States more must be done
towards taking action to secure small island States’ interests and needs. Of course this will not obviate the
vulnerability that is ours by reason of size and this is why the Commonwealth Secretariat has set up a
Commission to review the plight of small island States and to sensitize all major policy makers in government
and international organizations. The Prime Minister of Barbados, the Right Honourable Owen Arthur, has had
the distinct honour of leading this group and we look forward to positive changes in the attitudes of the global
community.
35.15 These are only a few of the matters which must be urgently addressed by us all - Member States, the
Task Force and the Secretariat. Time is truly not on our side and not on mine as well today. Thus, urgency must
attach itself to our plans and our work, since the returns on such reforms cannot be expected until at the least
medium term. I trust, Mr President, that the new Director-General designate, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura will rise to
the task and work closely with the Executive Board and Member States in assisting our successful transition as
small island States and the effective implementation of a new and more relevant mandate for UNESCO. In doing
this, he must build on UNESCO’s very strong foundation. I must say that it is the wish of my government to
thank the current Director-General for his many years as UNESCO’s leader and to wish him the very best in his
future endeavours. I look forward to the very challenging times of the early twenty-first century when we must
truly be dedicated to putting people at the centre of all of our decisions and actions as we, both Member States
and this Organization, seek to remain faithful to the very noble and very necessary principles of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. I thank you.
36. The PRESIDENT:
I thank the Minister for Education, Youth Affairs and Culture of Barbados for her rather long statement
and I now invite Mr Elie Jouen, Deputy Secretary-General of Education International to take the floor.
37.1 M. JOUEN (Internationale de l'éducation) :
Monsieur le Président, Monsieur le Représentant du Directeur général, Mesdames et Messieurs, dans les
semaines qui viennent, représentants des gouvernements, des organisations gouvernementales, y compris des
institutions financières internationales, et représentants des organisations non gouvernementales se retrouveront
lors de conférences régionales, puis au mois d'avril 2000 à Dakar pour procéder à l'évaluation de l'application des
décisions de Jomtien en faveur de l'éducation pour tous. Abandonnons un instant le langage diplomatique et
reconnaissons tous ensemble que nous avons échoué dans la réalisation de cet objectif, malgré la bonne volonté
et les efforts de plusieurs d'entre nous. Plus de 125 millions d'enfants n'ont accès à aucune forme d'éducation
scolaire et parmi eux un fort pourcentage de filles qui, très souvent, sont condamnées à travailler pour subvenir à
leurs besoins et à ceux de leurs familles.
37.2 Cette situation est intolérable et doit être rapidement corrigée. Nous savons qu'elle peut l'être pour peu
qu'une certaine volonté politique se manifeste et que des choix stratégiques soient opérés. Nous savons tous que
le transfert d'un très faible pourcentage des dépenses militaires au profit des budgets de l'éducation permettrait de
régler le problème de la généralisation de l'accès à l'éducation dans les dix années qui viennent. Organisation
internationale d'enseignants forte de 24 millions de membres, l'Internationale de l'éducation a décidé récemment
de joindre ses efforts à ceux d'autres grandes ONG internationales, comme Oxfam International et Action Aid,
dans le cadre d'une campagne globale visant à sensibiliser les opinions publiques, mais aussi les décideurs
politiques, à la nécessité de prendre rapidement les mesures qui s'imposent pour relever le défi de l'éducation
pour tous, et pour que les personnels retrouvent leur dignité et une situation matérielle conforme à l'importance
de leur mission. Le programme de l'UNESCO va aussi dans ce sens, même si nous aurions souhaité qu'il soit un
peu plus ambitieux.
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