I regret not to be with you personally today. I shall, however, be pressing for measures to guarantee the right to education before development and education ministers at the eighth High Level Group Meeting on Education for All in Oslo. I am confident that the Forum will indicate ways forward for promoting and protecting the right to education of minorities, shed light on key areas for action, and make a significant contribution to advancing the Education for All agenda to which the majority of countries committed themselves in 2000. I look forward to the Forum’s Recommendations and would like to encourage you to take on board the conclusions from last month’s International Conference on Education held in Geneva. They focus on the fundamental importance of inclusive education for human, social and economic development. I want to assure you of UNESCO’s continued collaboration with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in all aspects of fulfilling the right to education for every child, youth and adult. Thank you very much.

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