Permanent Mission of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Before the Office of the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva Intervention Forum on Minorities of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela “Right to Education and Minorities” December 16, 2008 Our delegation congratulates the Madame President for her excellent performance in this event. In this respect, we would like to highlight the following aspects: The access to education in Venezuela constitutes a human right and a fundamental social obligation, it is democratic, free and compulsory, just as enshrined in our Constitution. The educational policy is oriented to guaranteeing the access, permanence and continuation of everyone for their whole lives. Education is a path for the integration of the cultural, political, religious, ethnic, gender, and linguistic diversity of our peoples, guaranteeing the access to a quality education, as much for migrants, refugees, indigenous peoples and afro-descendants, the handicapped, persons deprived of liberty and rural populations, among others. In reference to cultural diversity, the educational programs must be characterized by the respect of traditions, histories, cultures and the necessities of minorities; adapting them to the cultural and linguistic requirements. In this sense, my delegation would like to formulate the following recommendations: 1. The States must double their efforts to eradicate illiteracy as a strategy toward the accomplishment of providing education for all, during any stage of life. For this, we invite all to initiate with a sense of urgency programs of literacy that serve as a fundamental mechanism for inclusion directed to the vulnerable sectors of society, while respecting their particularities. As an example, we highlight the case of our country, which was declared on October 28, 2005 by UNESCO as a territory free of illiteracy, thanks to the Educational Missions implemented by the National Government as State policies and particularly with the successful use of the method “YO SI PUEDO/YES I CAN” in cooperation with the Republic of Cuba.