US embassy cable - 05MANAMA1669

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 001669 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA, EUR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KDEM, KMPI, EAID, PREL, PGOV, PHUM, BA, AF, CA, JA, PK, TU,  OVIP (RICE CONDOLEEZZA) 
SUBJECT: FORUM FOR THE FUTURE:  MINISTERIAL SESSION ON 
KNOWLEDGE AND EDUCATION 
 
 
1.  (U) November 12, 2005; 11:00 a.m., Manama, Bahrain. 
 
Kirk Wolcott (notetaker) 
 
2.  (U) SUMMARY.  One of two main components of the second 
BMENA Forum for the Future, held November 12 in Bahrain, 
centered on the continuing need to promote knowledge and 
education throughout the region (the second theme on civil 
society to be covered septel).  During the session, 
representatives from the G8 and the countries of the Broader 
Middle East and North Africa (BMENA), as well as 
international organizations and civil society groups, 
reviewed progress on education initiatives undertaken since 
last December's inaugural Forum in Morocco.  Canada announced 
its intention to contribute $50 million Canadian ($42 million 
U.S.) to regional reform efforts, including on education, 
while the European Commission proposed to make education one 
of its key priorities in the region. Participants covered 
four broad areas, including the Education Framework for 
Action, literacy acquisition, vocational training, and the 
Entrepreneurship Centers planned for Bahrain and Morocco. END 
SUMMARY. 
 
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Education Framework for Action 
------------------------------ 
 
3.  (U) Jordan opened the meeting by noting progress made on 
the Education Framework for Action strategy developed at the 
May 2005 Dead Sea Ministerial, and calling for additional 
workshops around the themes of technology, improved teaching 
standards, and entrepreneurship.  Egypt announced it will 
host a preparatory meeting in Cairo in February, in advance 
of the next Ministerial scheduled for May in Sharm el-Sheikh. 
 Noting that civil society has an increasing role to play in 
educational development across the region, Spain announced 
that it will contribute $1 million to the newly-created 
Foundation for the Future to assist in this effort. 
 
4.  (U) The European Commission said it too will contribute 
to the Foundation and plans to make education a key priority 
among its reform efforts.  The EC proposed to significantly 
increase funding for education and vocational training 
systems so that more BMENA governments can upgrade their 
education programs.  Ahead of the Sharm el-Sheikh 
Ministerial, the EC plans to sponsor an international 
conference on education and professional standards toward the 
goal of providing quality education for all citizens across 
the region.  The Secretary General of the GCC said that peace 
and stability can only be achieved through education and 
training, noting that firm political will is necessary to 
ensure such a development takes place. During the later 
session on civil society, France asked that the other 
delegates consider the inclusion of cultural diversity in 
future BMENA discussions on education, a call that was echoed 
by Russia during the Forum's closing session. 
 
-------------------- 
Literacy Acquisition 
-------------------- 
 
5.  (U) Algeria provided an update on the April meeting on 
literacy it hosted with Afghanistan, reiterating the call to 
train 100,000 teachers across the region to provide reading 
skills for 20 million students by 2015.  Toward this end, 
Algeria proposed the establishment of a regional center to 
monitor literacy rates, which it also offered to help 
finance.  Afghanistan described recent gains it made in 
education through its national action plan and stated that 
the purpose of promoting education in the country is to 
strengthen the foundation for democracy.  Canada announced 
that it intends to contribute an additional $50 million 
Canadian ($42 million U.S.) through the Canadian 
International Assistance Agency toward promoting reform in 
the region in three areas:  the private sector, improved 
governance, and basic education.  In addition to the Literacy 
Initiative it already supports, Canada will contribute toward 
improving high quality education for all citizens as a means 
of decreasing the "knowledge deficit" seen in most countries 
in the region. 
 
------------------- 
Vocational Training 
------------------- 
 
6.  (U) Japan provided information from the conference it 
co-sponsored with Jordan in September, in which more than 100 
representatives from 30 countries and international 
organizations examined ways to improve technical and 
vocational education and training (TVET) practices in the 
region.  Participants at a TVET task force meeting held 
November 11 agreed to establish new mechanisms for promoting 
youth employment, with an emphasis on education for women and 
girls. The next task force meeting will be held in early 
2006, with Egypt and Germany as co-sponsors.  Jordan said 
that the TVET group is now studying ways to build up 
cooperative models to strengthen education systems, which 
would include a greater emphasis on public-private 
partnerships.  As a next step, Jordan announced the launch of 
a database for training centers in the BMENA region to allow 
for easier cooperation with the EU, UNESCO, and other 
interested parties. Tunisia spoke about its National Fund for 
Employment, which has helped 350,000 Tunisians find jobs, and 
the Tunisian Solidarity Bank, which has granted some 120,000 
micro-credits, as examples of success that might be emulated 
in other countries. 
 
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Entrepreneurship Centers 
------------------------ 
 
7. (U) Bahrain reported on developments in its Center for 
Excellence, one of two Entrepreneurship Centers to have been 
established following the first Forum last year in Rabat (the 
second is planned for Morocco). The Bahraini representative 
said that its center remains in the "teething stage," with a 
site for the institute having been identified and most of the 
administrative preparations completed.  The first group of 
students will begin courses in December, to include seminars 
and workshops designed to increase the competitiveness of 
young business people in the global economy.  Meanwhile, 
Morocco is still seeking funding before it launches its 
center. 
 
MONROE