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

                
ACP/83/019/06    PADH: JFK/bm               Brussels, 5 May 2006

The 1^st Meeting of ACP Ministers of Education was held in Brussels, Belgium on 5 May 2006. The Ministers welcomed the opportunity to discuss and exchange views on the pertinent issues in Education confronting ACP States.

ACP Ministers re-affirmed the importance of intra-ACP cooperation within the framework of the Georgetown Agreement and the ACP-EC Partnership Agreement in placing Education issues at the forefront of the development agenda of their countries.

The Ministers noted that their meeting was being held at an opportune time when the programming exercise of the 10^th EDF is underway, and as such undertook to work actively with the National Authorizing Officers (NAOs) and Regional Authorizing Officers (RAOs) to ensure that adequate EDF resources are availed to the education sector.

They commended the contribution of the United Nations and its specialized agencies, such as UNESCO, other development partners and the European Union in assisting ACP States in their efforts to achieve the Dakar Goals for Education for All, and the targets for the 2^nd Millennium Development Goal for achieving universal basic education for all.

ACP Ministers underscored the need to address issues of quality assurance and relevance at all levels of the education system.

Ministers also voiced their concern on the high losses of teachers to the HIV/AIDS scourge particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, which has affected the manpower requirements in schools and tertiary institutions. Ministers also reaffirmed their commitment to use education in the fight against the HIV/AIDS scourge and emphasized the need to prioritize the training, recruitment and retention of teaching staff when making budgetary appropriations.

Ministers also underscored the utilization of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in learning and training programmes of educational institutions at all levels in ACP States.

At the close of their deliberations, the ACP Ministers of Education adopted a Brussels Declaration on Education for Sustainable Development in ACP States, and a Brussels Framework for Action on Education, underscoring the importance of strengthening Intra-ACP cooperation in this key sector for social and economic development.

The Ministers decided to meet every two years to ensure adequate follow-up of their commitments.