By Dr Sandy Morrison
ADOPTED: CONFINTEA VII Marrakesh Framework for Action – Harnessing the transformational power of ALE
The Marrakesh Framework for Action (MFA) has been adopted unanimously by more than 140 UNESCO member states during the closing of CONFINTEA VII today! We secured important wins as we have strongly advocated for the CSO positions in the Drafting Committee, particularly in strengthening commitments to:
- Increasing public funding and resource mobilisation for ALE and preventing regression in existing budget allocations, as well as progressively meeting the international benchmarks of an allocation of at least 4-6% of GDP and/or at least 15-20% of total public expenditure to education.
- Working towards filling the funding gap to meet the SDG 4 adult literacy targets and to integrate skills training through the fulfilment of existing commitments related to official development assistance (ODA), including the commitments by many developed countries to achieve the target of 0.7 per cent of the gross national product (GNP) for ODA to developing countries.
Secretary-Generals Katarina Popovic and Helen Dabu from ASPBAE strongly put forward the key CSO recommendations to the CONFINTEA VII Drafting Committee Meeting on the MFA.
The Action Plan will be the central policy document for adult learning and education (ALE) worldwide over the next 12 years, and calls for, among other things, equal access to education for all, for significantly increased participation in adult education, the promotion of climate learning and GCE, and increased funding levels for adult education (15-20% of total public expenditure on education for adult education).
Dr Sandy Morrison, from the University of Waikato, who participated online, says that CONFINTEA V11 and the Marrakesh Framework of Action affirms the transformational power of ALE within a lifelong learning perspective for a socially cohesive, fulfilling, inclusive and sustainable future for all. “With the myriad of complex, human-created crises including the COVID-19 pandemic, and climate change, we have hope of finding solutions through elevating and prioritising ALE. For us in Aotearoa New Zealand, we are witnessing and experiencing the impacts of global forces and its impact on our everyday lives. This high level framework promotes adult learning and education (ALE) and the work that we do every day in ANZ whether it be through addressing inequity, upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Mātauranga Māori, challenging injustice, advocating for education for climate change, improving access to information and funding, reducing poverty, improving literacy and building leadership. ALE is the underpinning precondition for change and increased wellbeing for us as individuals and for our communities.”