Ladies and gentlemen,

    On behalf of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, it is an honour and pleasure for me to welcome all of you to Bangkok on the occasion of the opening of the Asia-Pacific Conference on Education for All (EFA) Assessment.

    The subject matter of this Conference is of high priority for the United Nations system. In the words of the Secretary-General himself, I quote "Education not only enriches a culture…it is the first condition for freedom, democracy and sustainable development."

    The fact that so many leaders in the field of education are present at this Conference attests to the commitment of the Asia-Pacific region to the promotion of Education for All. During the last ten years, since the convening of the Jomtien World Conference on Education for All, we have made significant progress in some aspects of EFA. Perhaps the most significant has been the growth in primary school enrolment, with the Asia-Pacific region outpacing other regions of the world.

    Despite such progress, many challenges still remain for us all to address. 70 per cent of the world's illiterate population are in the Asia-Pacific region. Over 37 million children in the region do not participate in formal basic education. And of those children, who do receive formal basic education, many millions will drop out before grade 5. The gender gap in the adult literacy rate is still considerable. The challenge of expanding access to quality basic education to include marginalized social groups, such as the poor, women and girls, and ethnic minorities, still continues to elude us.

    Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
   
    It is significant to note that the opening day of this important Conference is being held at the United Nations Conference Centre, with the presence of all major United Nations bodies and agencies and multilateral development banks. This is symbolic of the consolidated approach adopted by the United Nations system to addressing the goal of Education for All.

    ESCAP welcomes the opportunity to host the opening day of the Conference. The Conference is expected to review the progress of the past decade since the Jomtien Conference and reach a consensus on action to accelerate the process of Education for All in the Asia-Pacific region.
   
    As the principal United Nations body dedicated to development in the Asia-Pacific region, ESCAP has advocated the importance of fulfilling the commitments of the Jomtien Conference among its membership of 60 member and associate member countries. Basic education is the foundation for the economic and social development of our region. It provides a means of overcoming poverty and is a basic human right of all citizens.
       
    ESCAP has addressed the EFA goals through two levels of intervention. First, through fostering regional exchange of information and experience and promoting political commitment among the governments towards achieving EFA goals. Second, through implementing technical assistance programmes and projects in response to the emerging needs of member countries, particularly in the field of human resources development.

    In charting the course of future action to reach our goal of Education for All, it is my belief that subregional as well as regional level cooperation will become even more vital in order to address common EFA issues among countries. Such subregional and regional cooperation complements the efforts underway at the national and local levels.

    ESCAP is committed to continuing to play and active role in accelerating progress towards the goal of Education of All in Asia and the Pacific.

    In concluding, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the UNESCO Principal Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific for convening the present Conference and for involving ESCAP and other concerned United Nations agencies in the endeavour.

    We look forward to the outcome of your deliberations and wish you a pleasant stay in Bangkok.

    Thank you.