The Secretariat of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States

ADDRESS BY MR. ANDREW BRADLEY ASSISTANT SECRETARY-GENERAL ACP GROUP OF STATES 2ND EDULINK STAKEHOLDERS CONFERENCE, GUYANA

Mr Bradley

2ND EDULINK STAKEHOLDERS CONFERENCE

THE ROLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

KEY NOTE ADDRESS BY MR. ANDREW BRADLEY ASSISTANT SECRETARY-GENERAL ACP GROUP OF STATES

GRAND COASTAL INN, GEORGETOWN, GUYANA 27-28 FEBRUARY 2009

THE ROLE OF EDULINK IN PROMOTING THE BRUSSELS RESOLUTION ON THE ROLE OF EDUCATION IN ACHIEVING THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS (MDGs)

EDULINK grantees;
Members of the EDULINK PMU;
Ladies and Gentlemen

We are pleased to meet in the Caribbean Region of the ACP Group of States, and indeed in Georgetown, the birth place of the ACP Group. It is well acknowledged that the Caribbean Region has a long history of regional cooperation, particularly in the Education sector. As you are aware, the regional experience in Higher Education is of paramount importance to the success of the EDULINK Programme.

In pursuit of strengthening intra-ACP cooperation, ACP Ministers responsible for Education, at their 2nd Meeting which was held in Brussels, Belgium from 22 to 23 October 2008, adopted the Brussels Resolution on the role of Education in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

As stated by the ACP Education Ministers, education is key to human-centered sustainable development, which empowers people to get out poverty, improves their living conditions, and acts as an instrument of social mobility. It is in such a context that the EDULINK Programme aims to promoting academic excellence in order to meet the needs of ACP States through support to institutional networking and sharing of best practices.

It should be noted that Higher Education is critical in addressing the common educational challenges within ACP regions, particularly with respect to achieving the MDGs. The development of human resource capacity, through higher education particularly in the technical and vocational training areas, is crucial for the promotion of sustainable development in ACP States.

It is also important to note that Higher Education promotes basic education by providing trainers/teachers, hence contributing to the achievement of quality Universal Primary Education. Furthermore, the MDGs that target the health and environment sectors, require the development of relevant well trained skilled manpower, which will in turn ensure the effective implementation of policies and strategies in ACP States, with a view of achieving these MDGs.

In this regard, the beneficiaries of the EDULINK Programme should not only consider this Programme as mechanism for ACP and EU Higher Education Institutions to network, but also as  a contribution to national and regional efforts aimed at promting sustainable development. The activities that EDULINK beneficiaries are implementing should set a basis for other sustainable programmes, which could source funding from national and regional budgets, as well as other development partners outside the European Union.

To this end, we look forward to see in the obligatory reporting of the EDULINK beneficiaries, not only reflections on how the projects activities are fulfilling the objectives of the EDULINK Programme, but also insights on how these activities are addressing poverty alleviation and the promotion of sustainable development in ACP States and Regions where they are being implemented.

The strengthening of national and regional centers and networks of excellence that respond to the developmental needs of ACP States is vital for the achievement of the MDGs. In this regard, the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Higher Education, and Research and Development need to be emphasized. It is through these centers and networks of excellence that we accelerate the closing of the digital divide between ACP States and developed countries.
 
We recognize that EDULINK projects are being implemented in a global environment with new challenges, particularly the current global financial and economic crisis. As such, it is important to assess resource utilization and its impact on the sustainable development of education in ACP States and Regions. The analysis of the impacts of these new challenges to projects under the EDULINK Programme would be of interest to the future design of similar Programmes within the context of the ACP-EU Partnership. I therefore call upon the beneficiaries of the EDULINK Programme and the Programme Management Unit (PMU) to have some reflections on this aspect.

Our external environment is constantly changing, which forces us to change, transform and adapt.  Today, I would like to challenge the academic world to also embrace change.  We, as practitioners, value your independence and freedom of thought, but it is high time to work closer with practitioners and politicians to jointly find solutions to address our challenges.  Let us continue to reach out to each other, and together seek answers that are based on focused and need based research to allow for informed policy formulation.  It is only when we cooperate and take hands, when we embrace change, that we will be able to improve, in a meaningful manner, the lives of so many.
 
In conclusion, I wish you very successful deliberations and look forward to receive the recommendations from the Meeting that will assist the ACP Secretariat to improve on the effective implementation of the EDULINK Programme.

I thank you.