UNESCO statement 4

Memorandum IV

TO: U. S. Adult Education Organizations (NGOs) invited to CONFINTEA V - Government Officials - and Other Interested Individuals

FROM: Alexander N. Charters, Coordinator, U. S. Participation (private sector) in CONFINTEA V

DATE: April 23, 1997

We need to keep reminding ourselves that CONFINTEA V will be a LEARNING EXPERIENCE for each of the participants. We are encouraged to engage in the substance of the Conference by writing comments and suggestions to UNESCO at any time. During the Conference we will have many opportunities to participate in the sessions and activities. There will also be many opportunities to meet and establish communications with the 2000+/- participants from about 150 countries.

1. While I was in Hamburg at the UNESCO Institute for Education last week, I was able to check the list of participants with Dr. Paul Belanger. The UNESCO Institute for Education (UIE) did not have requests from some NGOs. Fortunately NGOs sent a copy of the requests to the Coordinator. Accordingly I was able to fax copies of requests which you had sent to me. There is nothing more you need to do. Please see Attachment A for a list of U. S. NGOs that have been sent invitations. (Replacement for Memorandum III - Attachment A.)

Dr. Paul Belanger
Director
UNESCO Institute for Education
Feldbrunnenstrasse 58
20148 Hamburg
Germany
TEL: 49 40 448041-0
FAX: 49 40 41077-23

2. When I met Dr. Paul Belanger on April 9th he had not yet been informed of the names of the participants from many NGOs and governments of members of UNESCO. The invitations to U. S. participants will be among the first ones to be mailed. I again phone Dr. Belanger the information that the invitations were mailed during the week of April 14, 1997.

CONFINTEA V is the first time that NGOs have been invited independently of the official formal delegation and, accordingly, the protocol of arrangements are somewhat tentative.

We are being identified as Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) who are invited as U. S. participants (private sector) to CONFINTEA V. Please see Attachment B.

3. Each NGO is invited to send two participants, one of whom may be, but not necessarily, the person who signed the request for invitation. All participants should follow instructions and complete all forms, and provide information as requested. Each participant is the direct contact with CONFINTEA V. Advance information: Each participant must have a valid and concurrent passport to enter Germany.

4. Please remember to send a copy of communication to me. When I have the names of participants designated by U. S. NGOs, I will send the list to all invited NGOs.

5. I have not received information about the U. S. delegation except that it is not yet appointed. I have been told by Dr. Paul Belanger that an invitation is being sent to the Hon. Madelaine Albright, Secretary of State. I expect that the Head of our delegation for CONFINTEA V, when appointed, will inform us of developments. Dr. Ronald Pugsley is providing a lead role. The Coordinator of the U. S. Participation (private sector) on CONFINTEA V has been appointed a member of the official U. S. delegation.

Dr. Ronald S. Pugsley
Director
Division of Adult Education and Literacy
U. S. Department of Education
Office of Vocational and Adult Education
600 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202
tel: 202-205-9720

6. A package of materials has been sent to you by Dr. Ronald Pugsley.

7. Some materials prepared for distribution to NGOs by the International Council for Adult Education (ICAE) have been mailed by Dr. John Henschke.

8. During the past several months you have received considerable material from various sources:

a) A white brochure describing the UNESCO Institute of Education (UIE).

b) The brochure, Adult Learning: A Key for the twenty-first Century which describes CONFINTEA V.

c) Memoranda

Memoranda (first one) from Alexander N. Charters, the Coordinator of U. S. Participation (private sector) in CONFINTEA V

" II

" III (with Attachments)

" IV (this one with Attachments)

d) A package of materials from Dr. Ronald Pugsley

e) Bulletin 1 and 2 of International Council for Adult Education (ICAE) mailed by Dr. John Henschke

Dr. John A. Henschke
President
Associate Professor of Education
Department of Educational Studies
269 Marillac Hall
University of Missouri
8001 Natural Bridge Road
St. Louis, MO 63121-4499
tel: 314-516-5944
fax: 314-516-5942

Each person signing the request for an invitation has been sent all of the materials listed above. This named person should provide a complete set of the materials to each of the two persons they designate as participants from their NGO.

UNESCO materials will be available after May 10th on the World Wide Web at http:/web/syr/edu/~ancharte.

9. Please note that the program is outlined in the original brochure that was sent to you. It is expected that there will be changes in the program even during the Conference. It is anticipated that a considerable amount of materials will be distributed at Hamburg.

10. It seems appropriate to have some coordination and opportunities to share ideas and information during CONFINTEA V. Because the invitations have not been received, the response to the request for participants to assist in some role has been limited. (See Memorandum III, Item 3) Dr. John Henschke did respond by letter to say he is willing to assist at the Conference. Dr. Henschke has agreed to develop some plans for the gathering of information from the various activities during CONFINTEA V and distributing them to U. S. participants. (See Item 12) It should facilitate our learning. Please let us know if you will help in a leadership role at the Conference. You may be requested to volunteer to help at the CONFINTEA V!!

Dr. Henschke was the only person to comment about designating a second NGO to the official delegation. He commented that one member was sufficient. Accordingly, we will just leave it at one member unless we hear other reactions from other invitees to the CONFINTEA V. (See Item 12)

12. CONFINTEA V is scheduled to begin Monday morning, July 14, 1997. In consultation with Dr. Ronald Pugsley a meeting has been scheduled for the U. S. observer delegation and the U. S. NGO participants to meet together on Sunday, July 13, 1997 at 8:00 p.m. You will be notified of the time, place and room number at a later date.

At previous conferences it has been clear that activities and actions work at a rapid pace. Accordingly, in some cases, the U. S. participants have met each morning. You are requested to put a meeting on your calendar for each July morning at 7:00 a.m. (i.e. Monday, July 14, Tuesday, July 15, Wednesday, July 16, Thursday, July 17 and Friday, July 18). (Perhaps tea, coffee and rolls will be available.) You will be notified of the place and time of the meeting. We can cancel if agreed that it is not appropriate a meeting.

These meetings of the U. S. official delegation and the U. S. NGO participants to discuss the issues and proposed actions of CONFINTEA V will provide a continuing opportunity for all of the U. S. participants to have direct impact on any U. S. position and actions. Please remember the U. S. does not have a vote.

13. In March 1997, Alexander N. Charters was invited to a meeting of experts on Adult Education Documentation, held in Hamburg. In attendance at the meeting were representatives of:

Centre de documentatione sur l'education des adultes et la conditian feminine - Montreal
International Bureau of Education - Geneva
International Council for Adult Education - Toronto
UNESCO Regional Office for Education in Latin America and the Caribbean
Special Collection - Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
UNESCO Institute for Education - Hamburg
   Dr. Paul Belanger
   Ms. Ursula Giere

NOTE: Experts are invited by UNESCO to contribute on selected tasks but are not a function of U. S. participation.

We were informed that there would be a Workshop on Documentation tentatively scheduled for July 16, 1997 from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. We were not informed of workshops scheduled, concurrently with it. A program for the Workshop was developed at the meeting.

14. Professor Richard Connolly of the Communication Media Arts Department at SUNY Rockland is currently working as an expert with Dr. Paul Belanger on the television media events for CONFINTEA V. Connolly and Belanger are working with UNESCO's Office of Information in Paris, Public Broadcasting Stations in Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario to produce satellite television broadcasts from Hamburg between July 14-18. Work with television stations in Capetown and New Delhi will follow.

Dr. Richard Connolly
Professor
Rockland Community College
145 College Road
Suffern, NY 10901
tel: 914-574-4000
fax: 914-356-5811

15. There is a sub-theme at CONFINTEA V on Universities. A workshop is scheduled at Hamburg. Time and place will be available at Hamburg.

Dr. Budd Hall
The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
252 Bloor Street West
Toronto, Ontario M5S 1V6 CANADA
tel: 416-923-6641
fax: 416-534-5655

16. Dr. Ronald Pugsley attended as an expert a meeting in Berlin in April 1997 on Literacy and related topics.

17. In order to help inform out colleagues about UNESCO and CONFINTEA V, it would be helpful if you would run a story in the newsletter/periodical/journal/etc. of your organization. Please remember that you are the only channel of communication with the members of your organization about CONFINTEA V.

18. If you have inquiries from colleagues about interest in attending CONFINTEA V and are not able to include them in your allocation of two, you might let me know. At present Dr. Belanger states tat it is not possible to have additional participants but the situation will be reviewed in May 1997.

19. As previously mentioned in Memorandum III, Item 13, Mr. Richard Long is planning a meeting to discuss the issues which will probably be discussed at CONFINTEA V. Government personnel and colleagues from the private sector will be invited to the meeting. Mr. Long has stated that he will include the U. S. NGOs who are being invited to CONFINTEA V. The meeting should be informative and helpful in preparing participants for the deliberation of CONFINTEA V.

Dr. Richard Long
U. S. Coalition for Education for All
444 N. Capital Street, Ste. 422
Washington, DC 20001
tel: 202-624-8800
fax: 202-624-8826

20. It is now clear that there will be some mechanics for follow-up of the Recommendation and Agenda for Action. Further information will be made known to U. S. participants when it is available.

21. As you know, the Coordinator keeps in communication with:

Dr. Raymond Wanner, Deputy-Director, Bureau of International Organizations
Dr. Raymond Pugsley, Director, Office of Vocational and Adult Education
Ms. Betty Ward, International and Technical Services
Dr. John Fobes, Chair, Board of Directors, Americans for the Universality of UNESCO
Dr. Paul Belanger, Director, UNESCO Institute for Education

They have been helpful and cooperative.

22. My wife Margaret has provided advice and suggestions for the plan of U. S. participants in CONFINTEA V. She has also been invited to attend as a member of Consumer International, an international NGO. We have purchased our tickets and are scheduled to arrive in Hamburg via Lufthansa at 8:05 a.m., Saturday, July 12th. We are scheduled to depart from Hamburg via Lufthansa at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, July 19, 1997.

23. In developing the U. S. participation are many logistical and support activities, such as pages of typing, over 100 telephone calls, scores of faxes, mailings, computer work and on it continues to go. Several persons continue to facilitate the support of U. S. participation (private sector): Mrs. Audrey Burian, Mrs. Linda Tucker, Mrs. Jane Frost, and Mrs. Linda Pitonzo.

24. A very considerable number of Educators of Adults have been participating in planning for the U. S. participation in CONFINTEA V. Your cooperation and suggestions are appreciated by the rest of us.

Please let me have your comments and suggestions as to activities associated with CONFINTEA V. Is there anything else that you would like the Coordinator to do?

I can be reached in Syracuse or Cape Cod until July 11, 1997.

Alexander N. Charters
216 Lockwood Road
Syracuse, NY 13214
tel: 315-446-2629
fax: 315-443-5732

355 Lieutenant Island Road
PO Box 755
South Wellfleet, MA 02663-0755
tel: 508-349-3539