8 July 2011: The UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) concluded its annual High-Level Segment and adopted a Ministerial Declaration that reaffirms the need for Governments to take the lead in education and emphasizes the importance of strong partnerships. In the Declaration, the Ministers and Heads of Delegations noted that education and sustainable development are connected and mutually reinforcing.

The Declaration also reaffirms leaders’ commitment to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and other internationally agreed development goals. They emphasized a people-centred, holistic approach to the development of educational systems and prioritizing education in the design and implementation of national development strategies. The Declaration underscores that the fulfillment of all official development assistance (ODA) commitments is crucial, and invites the private sector and foundations to increase their contribution to the financing of the education sector, through innovative finance mechanisms and the strengthening and scaling up of existing ones.

Lazarous Kapambwe, ECOSOC President, noted that the Ministerial Declaration promoted consensus on a broad range of issues and contained concrete measures to achieve progress on education goals, including strengthening of the education cluster in humanitarian response systems and improving national data collection and analysis to refine policies and better allocate resources to vulnerable and marginalized groups. [Summary of Meeting]