Ban Ki-moon told the UNESCO Executive Board that his "Education First" initiative will help achieve the related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and targets, and that education is an important starting point for sustainable development.
He also noted his request to Director-General Irina Bokova to establish a Scientific Advisory Board.
9 October 2012: Addressing the Executive Board of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris, France, on 9 October 2012, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon highlighted his newly launched global initiative, “Education First,” and said there is no better place to start on sustainability than with education. He said Education First will serve as an accelerator for the related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and targets, and is not a substitute for Education for All or UNESCO’s global work for education.
Ban also spoke of UNESCO’s role in advancing the sustainable development agenda, including by strengthening the interface between science and policy. He recalled that UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova has been tasked with establishing a Scientific Advisory Board, and also that he relies on UNESCO’s contributions – through its Oceanographic Commission – for the health of the oceans and the implementation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). [Statement of UN Secretary-General]