Data aggregated by Region

	Net enrolment rate total	Net enrolment rate male	Net enrolment rate female	Gender parity index for NER.
	2001	2002	2003	2004	2001	2002	2003	2004	2001	2002	2003	2004	2001	2002	2003	2004
Central and Eastern Europe	91	91	90	91	92	92	91	92	90	90	89	90	0,97	0,98	0,98	0,98
Central Asia	88	89	89	92	89	89	90	92	88	88	88	91	0,98	0,98	0,98	0,98
East Asia and the Pacific	96	94	93	94	96	94	93	94	96	94	92	94	1,00	1,00	0,99	0,99
Latin America and the Caribbean	95	96	96	95	95	97	96	96	95	95	96	94	1,00	0,98	1,00	0,99
North America and Western Europe	97	96	96	95	97	96	96	96	97	96	96	94	1,01	1,01	1,01	0,98
South and West Asia	78	79	83	86	85	85	86	89	71	72	79	82	0,84	0,85	0,92	0,92
Sub-Saharan Africa	59	61	64	66	62	64	67	69	56	58	60	64	0,91	0,90	0,90	0,92

Source: http://stats.uis.unesco.org/TableViewer/tableView.aspx (UNESCO Institute for Statistics, Education), last accessed at 13/10/06.

2. Secondary Education

Country Data

	Net enrolment ratio. total	Net enrolment ratio. male	Net enrolment ratio. female	Gender parity index NER.
	2001	2002	2003	2004	2001	2002	2003	2004	2001	2002	2003	2004	2001	2002	2003	2004
Poland	91	91	91	90	89	90	90	89	92	93	93	92	1,03	1,03	1,02	1,03
Azerbaijan	75	75	77	77	75	75	77	78	74	75	76	76	0,99	1,00	0,98	0,98
Kazakhstan	86	87	90	92	87	88	90	93	85	86	90	92	0,98	0,98	1,00	0,99
Tajikistan	73	76	78	79	79	82	85	86	67	69	72	73	0,84	0,84	0,85	0,85
Singapore	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Colombia	54	55	-	55	51	53	-	52	56	58	-	58	1,10	1,10	-	1,11
Nicaragua	37	38	41	41	34	35	38	38	40	42	43	43	1,18	1,18	1,13	1,13
Peru	69	69	69	69	70	70	69	69	68	68	68	69	0,97	0,97	0,98	1,00
Suriname	64	63	63	-	59	52	53	-	69	75	74	-	1,17	1,43	1,38	-
Austria	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Greece	83	-	84	87	80	-	83	85	85	-	87	88	1,07	-	1,05	1,04
Netherlands	90	90	89	89	90	90	88	89	90	91	89	90	1,00	1,00	1,01	1,01
India	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Maldives	-	51	-	-	-	48	-	-	-	55	-	-	-	1,15	-	-
Namibia	37	42	37	-	31	37	32	-	43	48	43	-	1,38	1,30	1,35	-

Data aggregated by Region

	Net enrolment ratio. total	Net enrolment ratio. males	Net enrolment ratio. female	Gender Parity index NER.
	2001	2002	2003	2004	2001	2002	2003	2004	2001	2002	2003	2004	2001	2002	2003	2004
Central and Eastern Europe	83	83	84	82	84	84	85	83	82	82	83	81	0,98	0,98	0,98	0,98
Central Asia	83	83	84	85	84	84	85	86	81	82	83	84	0,97	0,97	0,97	0,97
East Asia and the Pacific	-	-	65	69	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Latin America and the Caribbean	63	65	66	67	61	63	64	65	65	67	68	69	1,07	1,06	1,06	1,06
North America and Western Europe	90	89	91	91	89	89	90	90	90	90	91	92	1,02	1,01	1,02	1,02
South and West Asia	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Sub-Saharan Africa	21	23	24	24	23	25	26	27	19	20	21	22	0,82	0,82	0,80	0,81

Source: http://stats.uis.unesco.org/TableViewer/tableView.aspx (UNESCO Institute for Statistics, Education), last accessed at 19/10/06.

3. Tertiary Education (ISCED 5 and 6)

Country Data

	Gross enrolment ratio. total	Gross enrolment ratio. male	Gross enrolment ratio. female	Gender parity index for GER
	2001	2002	2003	2004	2001	2002	2003	2004	2001	2002	2003	2004	2001	2002	2003	2004
Poland	54	58	59	61	45	48	49	51	64	68	70	72	1,44	1,43	1,42	1,41
Azerbaijan	16	16	15	15	19	18	17	16	14	14	14	14	0,71	0,79	0,82	0,87
Kazakhstan	34	39	45	48	31	35	39	40	37	44	51	56	1,19	1,24	1,32	1,38
Tajikistan	13	14	15	16	20	21	23	25	6	7	8	8	0,32	0,33	0,34	0,33
Singapore	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Colombia	24	24	24	27	23	23	23	26	25	25	25	28	1,10	1,09	1,09	1,09
Nicaragua	18	18	18	-	17	17	17	-	19	19	19	-	1,11	1,11	1,11	-
Peru	32	32	32	33	32	30	30	33	31	33	33	34	0,98	1,07	1,07	1,03
Suriname	-	12	-	-	-	9	-	-	-	15	.-	-	-	1,62	-	-
Austria	57	48	49	50	54	44	45	46	61	52	53	54	1,13	1,17	1,18	1,19
Greece	59	66	72	79	55	62	68	73	63	71	77	86	1,15	1,15	1,14	1,17
Netherlands	56	57	58	59	54	55	56	57	57	59	60	62	1,07	1,08	1,09	1,08
India	10	11	11	12	12	13	14	14	8	9	9	9	0,68	0,69	0,67	0,66
Maldives	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	2,37	2,37
Namibia	7	6	6	-	8	5	6	-	7	7	7	-	0,85	1,39	1,15	-

Data aggregated by Region

	Gross enrolment ratio. total	Gross enrolment ratio. males	Gross enrolment ratio. female	Gender Parity Index GER
	2001	2002	2003	2004	2001	2002	2003	2004	2001	2002	2003	2004	2001	2002	2003	2004
Central and Eastern Europe	44	48	51	54	40	43	46	48	49	53	57	60	1,21	1,24	1,24	1,25
Central Asia	22	24	24	25	23	24	24	24	22	23	25	26	0,94	0,99	1,02	1,05
East Asia and the Pacific	17	19	21	23	19	21	22	24	14	16	19	21	0,75	0,75	0,89	0,89
Latin America and the Caribbean	24	26	27	28	23	24	25	26	25	27	29	30	1,13	1,16	1,17	1,17
North America and Western Europe	61	67	69	70	55	59	60	60	68	76	78	79	1,25	1,28	1,30	1,32
South and West Asia	9	10	10	11	11	11	12	12	8	8	8	9	0,70	0,71	0,70	0,70
Sub-Saharan Africa	4	4	5	5	5	5	6	6	3	3	4	4	0,61	0,62	0,61	0,61

Source: http://stats.uis.unesco.org/TableViewer/tableView.aspx (UNESCO Institute for Statistics, Education), last accessed at 20/10/06.

B.Country-specific reports

Austria

Education

Austria is not party to UNESCO ’ s Convention against Discrimination in Education (1960) but recently steps have been undertaken towards the ratification of this instrument .

Austria did not report to UNESCO for the 6 th Consultation on the implementation of the Recommendation against Discrimination in Education.

UNESCO hopes to receive a comprehensive quality report for the ongoing 7 th Consultation (period 2000-2005).

UNESCO is also encouraging Austria to ratify the Convention on Technical and Vocational Education (1989).

According to its Constitution adopted in 1920 (revised in 1945 ) “ […] 6) (…) admission to public school is open to all without distinction of birth, sex race, status, class, language and religion, and in other respects within the limits of the statutory requirements. The same applies analogously to kindergartens, centres, and student hostels. ” (Art. 14 [Education])

FELLOWSHIPS

One Co-Sponsored Fellowship (UNESCO/L ’ Oreal) in the field of Life Sciences/Biomedical Research for eight months in the United Kingdom (value: 20,000 US-Dollars) and the trip to the award ceremony in UNESCO Headquarters (value: 673 US-Dollars) was awarded to a woman scientist.

Azerbaijan

Education

Azerbaijan is not party to UNESCO ’ s Convention against Discrimination in Education but did report to UNESCO for the 6 th Consultation on the implementation of the Recommendation against Discrimination in Education.

UNESCO hopes to receive a comprehensive quality report for the ongoing 7 th Consultation (period 2000-2005).

UNESCO is also encouraging Azerbaijan to ratify the Convention on Technical and Vocational Education (1989).

According to its Constitution of 1995 “ I. Every citizen has the right for education; II. The state guarantees free obligatory secondary education; III. The system of education is under the state control; IV. The state guarantees continuation of education for most gifted persons irrespective of their fina n cial position; V. The state establishes minimum educational standards. ” ( Art. 42 )

FELLOWSHIPS

One Co-Sponsored Fellowship (UNESCO/L ’ Oreal) in the field of Social Sciences for six years in the Czech Republic (value: 138,523 US-Dollars) was awarded to a woman scientist.

One Research Fellowship (UNESCO/Japan: Obuchi) in the field of Environment for six month in the United States of America (value: 10,000 US-Dollars) was awarded to a woman researcher.

Social and Human Sciences

A project by the Social and Human Sciences Sector of UNESCO seeks to build the competences of women in three regions in Azerbaijan in the area of women ’ s human rights and to strengthen their capacities for democratic participation.  A number of modalities are proposed, including the development of advocacy material, building networks and organizing training programs.

Colombia

Education

Colombia is not party to UNESCO ’ s Convention against Discrimination in Education but did report to UNESCO for the 6 th Consultation on the implementation of the Recommendation against Discrimination in Education. UNESCO has also received their State report for the ongoing 7 th Consultation (period 2000-2005).

UNESCO encourages Colombia to ratify the Convention on Technical and Vocational Education (1989).

Article 67 of its Constitution of 1991 provides that “ Education is an individual right and a public service that has a social function. (…) The State, society, and the family are responsible for education, which will be mandatory between the ages of five and 15 years and which will minimally include one year of preschool instruction and nine years of basic instruction . Education will be free of charge in the state institutions, without prejudices to those who can afford to defray the costs. ”

FELLOWSHIPS

One “ RP-UNESCO Fellowship in support of priority programme areas ” in the field of Natural Sciences/Ecology and Conservation of Tropical Forest Ecosystems for six months in the Netherlands (value: 11,300 US-Dollars) was awarded to a woman scientist.

One Co-Sponsored Fellowship (UNESCO/Israel-Mashav) in the field of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics in Agriculture for seven weeks in Israel (value: 13,497 US-Dollars) was awarded to a woman scientist.

One Co-Sponsored Fellowship (UNESCO/Israel-Mashav) in the field of Rural Development for seven weeks in Israel (value: 9,290 US-Dollars) was awarded to a woman researcher.

Greece

Education

Greece is not party to UNESCO ’ s Convention against Discrimination in Education and did not report to UNESCO for the 6 th Consultation on the implementation of the Recommendation against Discrimination in Education.

UNESCO hopes to receive a comprehensive quality report for the ongoing 7 th Consultation (period 2000-2005).

UNESCO encourages Greece to ratify the Convention on Technical and Vocational Education (1989).

According to Article 16 of the Constitution of 1975 “ (1) Art and science, research, and teaching are free and their development and promotion constitutes a state obligation. Academic freedom and the freedom to teach do not override the duty to obey the Constitution; (2) Education constitutes a fundamental state objective and aims at the moral, intellectual, professional, and physical instruction of the Greeks, the development of national and religious consciousness, and the formation of free and responsible citizens; (3) The years of compulsory schooling may not be less than nine; (4) All Greeks have the right to free education in the state schools at all levels. The State supports outstanding students and those needing support or special protection according to their needs. (…) ”

FELLOWSHIPS

One “ RP-UNESCO Fellowship in support of priority programme areas ” in the field of Social Anthropology for six months in the United Kingdom (value: 15,000 US-Dollars) was awarded to a woman researcher.

India

Education

India is not party to UNESCO ’ s Convention against Discrimination in Education and did not report to UNESCO for the 6 th Consultation on the implementation of the Recommendation against Discrimination in Education.

UNESCO hopes to receive a comprehensive quality report for the ongoing 7 th Consultation (period 2000-2005).

UNESCO is also encouraging India to ratify the Convention on Technical and Vocational Education (1989).

Article 45 of the constitution of 1949 provides a provision for free and compulsory education for children , it states “ The State shall endeavor to provide, within a period of ten years from the commencement of this Constitution, for free and compulsory education for all children until they complete the age of fourteen years. ”

FELLOWSHIPS

One Co-Sponsored Fellowship (UNESCO/L ’ Oreal) for Young Women in Life Sciences in the field of Parasitological and Molecular Biology for twelve months in the United States of America (value: 20,000 US-Dollars) and for the award ceremony at UNESCO Headquarters (value: 1,540 US-Dollars) was awarded to a woman scientist.

One “ RP-UNESCO Fellowship in support of priority programme areas ” in the field of Ethnic Conflict, Sexual Violence and Gender in India for six months in the United Kingdom (value: 13,000 US-Dollars) was awarded to a woman researcher.

Kazakhstan

Education

Kazakhstan is not party to UNESCO ’ s Convention against Discrimination in Education and did not report to UNESCO for the 6 th Consultation on the implementation of the Recommendation against Discrimination in Education.

UNESCO hopes to receive a comprehensive quality report for the ongoing 7 th Consultation (period 2000-2005).

UNESCO is also encouraging Kazakhstan to ratify the Convention on Technical and Vocational Education (1989).

According to Article 30 of the constitution approved in 1995 “ 1. The citizens shall be guaranteed free secondary education in state educational establishments. Secondary education shall be obligatory; 2.A citizen shall have the right to receive on a competitive basis a higher education in a state higher educational establishment; 3. The citizens shall have the right to pay and receive an education in private educational establishments on the basis and terms established by law; 4. The state shall set uniform compulsory standards in education. The activity of any educational establishment must comply with these standards. ”

The UNESCO Almaty Cluster Office partnered with the Gender Research Institute to study the feminization of teaching in Kazakhstan . The first stage of the research discovered the main challenges and barriers in teaching profession, such as increasing teacher shortage, decreasing professional qualifications of teachers, limited professional development opportunities, lack of motivation of teachers with respect to innovation due to low salaries, low gender sensitivity. The results of the study were presented to the Ministry of Education and at a regional conference in South Korea . The problems and perspectives of gender sensitive education were discussed at the Central Asian gender focal points meeting and the results of the Gender Thematic group study were presented to the CARK Education Forum Executive Committee Members ’ Meeting in Dushanbe in 2005.

The Kazakhstan Gender Institute research team discussed challenges facing the feminization of teaching in Kazakhstan and in particular the difficulties faced in recruiting and sustaining more men in the teaching profession. Proposals and comments resulting from the workshop were presented to the National Concept of Education Development in Kazakhstan .

Efforts were supported to elaborate multi-sectoral, comprehensive and integrated sector-wide approach to girls ’ education and gender equity incorporating gender related issues in the content of capacity-building workshops, advocacy meetings, round-table discussions; advocating the development of gender responsive strategies, life-skills and prevention programmes, providing access to primary education for disadvantaged children, networking Associated Schools Project.

In 2004, an evaluation of the possibility of establishing a department for gender studies at a tertiary level institution in Kazakhstan was conducted through evaluative research to assess the capacities of the Kazakh National University named after al-Farabi and the Kazakh State Women ’ s Pedagogical Institute. The results of this research led to the establishment, in early 2005, of the Department of Gender Studies at the Kazakh National University named after al-Farabi. The Department of Gender Studies has subsequently implemented activities in cooperation with UNESCO that will operate in 2005. The creation of a Gender Centre in the Kazakh National University after al- Farabi is not only seen to be a catalyst for gender information and knowledge dissemination among researchers and students of Kazakhstan but also as a physical support for the gender perspective in the intellectual world. It will impact thought in Kazakh society as well as that of the other Central Asian cluster countries. To this end, technical assistance to the newly established department for gender studies in developing curricula and capacity building will be provided as well as support for an interdisciplinary approach in teaching gender and assistance in development of information resources.

A major international conference on the Role of Women in Culture and Intercultural Dialogue in Central Asia was held from June 11 th to 13 th , 2003 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan to serve as a forum for the women of Central Asia working in the area of culture, cultural education, arts and media to express and share their ideas and views on the issues of concern and to foster cooperation and exchange between women ’ s organizations. As a follow up to this important conference, the Central Asian Women Cultural Website and Network was developed with support from the UNESCO Almaty Office. The web-site and network resource were created and hosted on the UNESCO Almaty Web server at www.women.u n esco.kz . Content of the web-site was divided into two different parts: a statistical part that includes special topics, biographic information about women in science, leadership, politics, culture, arts, theatre, opera, cinema, and etc., and a dynamic part that includes news-information about the latest events in culture, digest of mass media about the topic, a forum for site-visitors, and a distribution of e-mail messages by a news digest. An important feature of the web site is that it can be directly accessed and updated by the focal points and is regularly edited by the Almaty Office.

The Round Table “ Consolidation of Cultural Women ’ s Movement in Central Asia : Status and Prospects ” was held in August, 2005, in Almaty. With support of the Tengri Umai Foundation, women participating in the round table exchanged information, knowledge and experiences. The discussions targeted important problems and urgent cultural questions, such as the protection and promotion of cultural diversity, the preservation of cultural heritage, the protection of women ’ s rights and the participation of women in cultural policy.

A Digital Library was created and it represents an important step for the promotion of human rights education for all through the opening of public information services. The library exists in Kazakh and Russian and gives free access for women to the data bases which contain more than 1000 legal documents related to human rights issues. The library has a particular focus on rural population and vulnerable groups. There is also an online legal service which answers questions linked to Domestic Violence, Marriage and Family, Gender Policy Issues, and Maternity. The digital library hence serves as an effective awareness raising and educational tool to promote the CEDAW.

FELLOWSHIPS

One “ RP-UNESCO Fellowship in support of priority programme areas ” in the field of Water Resources and Associated Ecosystem for five months in the United States (value: 15,000 US ‑ Dollars) was awarded to a woman scientist.

One Co-Sponsored Fellowship (UNESCO/Israel-Mashav) in the field of Education for one month in Israel (value: 5,180 US-Dollars) was awarded to a woman researcher.

Maldives

Education

Maldives is not party to UNESCO ’ s Convention against Discrimination in Education and did not report to UNESCO for the 6 th Consultation on the implementation of the Recommendation against Discrimination in Education.

UNESCO hopes to receive a comprehensive quality report for the ongoing 7 th Consultation (period 2000-2005).

UNESCO is also encouraging Maldives to ratify the Convention on Technical and Vocational Education (1989).

According to its Constitution of 1998 (amended in 2005) “ Persons shall be free to acquire knowledge and to impart knowledge provided that such acquisition and imparting of knowledge does not contravene law. ” ( Art. 19)

Social and Human Sciences

Advocacy material (documentary) aimed at countering negative attitudes about women ’ s political participation and women ’ s access to decision making positions was established.  This material specifically seeks to promote women ’ s political participation which is a theme supported by UNESCO in light of the work in favor of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and in promoting women ’ s political rights.

FELLOWSHIPS

One “ RP-UNESCO Fellowship in support of priority programme areas ” in the field of Information Technology in Education for six months in Australia (value: 14,837 US-Dollars) was awarded to a woman researcher.

Namibia

Education

Namibia is not party to UNESCO ’ s Convention against Discrimination in Education and did not report to UNESCO for the 6 th Consultation on the implementation of the Recommendation against Discrimination in Education. However Namibia is currently preparing its report for the ongoing 7 th Consultation (period 2000-2005).

UNESCO is also encouraging this Member State to ratify the Convention on Technical and Vocational Education (1989).

According to its Constitution of 1990 (amended in 1998) “ (1) All persons shall have the right to education; (2) Primary education shall be compulsory and the State shall provide reasonable facilities to render effective this right for every resident within Namibia, by establishing and maintaining State schools at which primary education will be provided free of charge (…) ” ( Art. 20)

In collaboration with the Namibian Ministry of Education and others key stakeholders, UNESCO has developed a counseling training module for girls in order to motivate them to embark on science careers. The overall aim of this module is to help reduce gender disparities in the field of science and technology in Africa as well as to provide women with the possibility of embarking upon science careers in the quest of self-dependence and poverty reduction. The training module can be accessed online at: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001453/145367e.pdf

FELLOWSHIPS

One “ RP-UNESCO Fellowship in support of priority programme areas ” in the field of Geology for five months in Germany (value: 9,900 US-Dollars) was awarded to a woman researcher.

the Netherlands

Education

The Netherlands is party to UNESCO ’ s Convention against Discrimination in Education since 1966 but did not report to UNESCO within the 6 th Consultation on the implementation of the Convention and Recommendation against Discrimination in Education.

UNESCO hopes to receive a comprehensive quality report for the ongoing 7 th Consultation (period 2000-2005).

UNESCO also encourages The Netherlands to ratify the Convention on Technical and Vocational Education (1989).

According to the Constitution of 1983 “ (1) Education shall be the constant concern of the Government; (2) All persons shall be free to provide education, without prejudice to the authorities ’ right of supervision and, with regard to forms of education designated by law, its right to examine the competence and moral integrity of teachers, to be regulated by Act of Parliament; (3) Education provided by public authorities shall be regulated by Act of Parliament, paying due respect to everyone ’ s religion or belief. ” (Art. 23)

Nicaragua

Education

Nicaragua is party to UNESCO ’ s Convention against Discrimination in Education since 1981 but did not report to UNESCO within the 6 th Consultation on the implementation of the Convention and Recommendation against Discrimination in Education.

UNESCO hopes to receive a comprehensive quality report for the ongoing 7 th Consultation (period 2000-2005).

UNESCO also encourages Nicaragua to ratify the Convention on Technical and Vocational Education (1989).

According Article 58 of the Constitution of 1987 “ Nicaraguans have the right to education and culture. ”

The UNESCO Office in San José has gathered e ducational indicators showing that Nicaragua has gender disparities in access, enrollment and completion in all levels of the educational system (pre ‑ primary, primary, secondary and higher education).

According to the latest statistics (2004), only in primary education girls (87%) participate slightly less than boys (89%). In secondary education, gender disparities affect much more boys (59%) than girls (68%). In pre-primary and higher education, boys are also accessing less than girls. The literacy rates show the same general tendency observed in this paragraph. Finally, girls (66%) are more successful than boys (61%) in terms of primary completion.

Therefore, our programmes are not directly focused to ensure girls ’ access to education, but to the protection of the right to education that every children and adult has in Nicaragua . Gender mainstreaming is applied to all actions. In addition, a specific initiative is being planned for the 2006-2007 biennium: education officials from the ministries of education will be trained in gender mainstreaming in order to promote gender responsive policies and programmes.

Regarding the provision of the Convention related to “ The elimination of any stereotyped concept of the roles of men and women at all levels and in all forms of education by encouraging coeducation and other types of education which will help to achieve this aim and, in particular, by the revision of textbooks and school programmes and the adaptation of teaching methods ” , the San José Office is completing a qualitative analysis of the textbooks used in the public educational systems in the Central American countries (including Nicaragua). This study aims to highlight the stereotyped roles assigned to both women and men, to ethnic minorities or to migrants, through what it is called the “ hidden curricula ” , in order to establish guidelines and proposals to improve these curricular contents.

Great effort is being made to ensure the health and well-being of families, through a constant technical advice to member states in the field of HIV and AIDS preventive education.

Other crucial conferences and activities are the following:

1. First Central American Forum on EFA. August 2003.

2. The Central American Encounter on Educational Opportunities for Youth and Adults. September 2003.

3. Curriculum change in Central America : achievements, problems and approaches. November 2003.

4. First Central American Seminar on HIV/AIDS prevention in educational systems. November 2003.

5. Regional Launching of the United Nations Literacy Decade. March 2004.

6. Case Study. “ Education performance in rural areas of Central America Research ” . June-December 2004.

7. Latin American Meeting on Education for Disaster Reduction . September 2004.

8. Mesoamerican Meeting on Inclusive Education . San José, Costa Rica, October 2004.

9. Central America , Mexico and Haiti Workshop on Education Policy Simulation Model, for the follow up of National Plans of EFA. November 2004.

10. Strengthening Literacy and Non-Formal Education Policies and Practices in the framework of EFA. July 2004.

11. Sub-regional meeting on education policies and access improvement to education in rural areas . March 2005.

12. Second Central American Forum on EFA. November 2005.

13. State of the art of science and technology education in the sub-region.

14. Community learning approaches: best practices and recommendations to improve the topic in the Central American region.

15. HIV and AIDS International Day .

16. I Central American Encounter on Formal and Non Formal Education to HIV and AIDS prevention. March 2006.

17. Publication “ Inter-cultural bilingual education ” .

18. Central American Meeting on Science and Technical Education. December 2006.

19. Working meeting on State and Civil Society articulation to achieve EFA. February 2007.

20. HIV and AIDS International Day, to be celebrated from the inclusive education approach.

Social and Human Sciences

Within the Small Grants Programme of the Social and Human Sciences Sector, UNESCO is financing a research project entitled “ Strengthening advocacy capacity of disabled women and women ’ s disability organizations in Nicaragua ” . The grant, USD 10,000, was awarded in 2005 to a research group based in the University of Umeå , Sweden .

The overall objective of the study is to increase advocacy capacity among disabled women and disability organizations by means of participatory research. The immediate objectives of the study are: 1) to elucidate the interface between poverty, disability and gender, and to identify the links between specific faces of poverty and certain denied rights regarding disabled women; 2) to identify the specific nature of poverty among disabled women in León, Nicaragua, especially the mutually strengthening impact of different life conditions; 3) to highlight the existence and prevalence of disabled women in León, Nicaragua, end thereby increase the visibility and general knowledge about their living conditions in order to point out the urgent need for agreements concerning the human rights of disabled women.

The results of this research will be published in 2007 along with the eleven other research projects being carried out in the Latin America and Caribbean region and some 30 other from Africa and South-East Asia .

Peru

Education

Peru is party to UNESCO ’ s Convention against Discrimination in Education since 1967 and reported to UNESCO for the 6 th Consultation on the implementation of the Convention and Recommendation against Discrimination in Education.

UNESCO hopes to receive a comprehensive quality report for the ongoing 7 th Consultation (period 2000-2005).

UNESCO also encourages Peru to ratify the Convention on Technical and Vocational Education (1989).

According to the Constitution of 1993 “ Early education, primary and secondary, are mandatory. In public schools, education is free of charge ( …) ” (Art. 17)

FELLOWSHIPS

One Co-Sponsored Fellowship (UNESCO/Israel-Mashav) in the field of Education for four weeks in Israel (value: 5,485 US-Dollars) was awarded to a woman researcher.

One Research Fellowship (UNESCO/Japan: Obuchi) in the field of Peaceful conflict Resolution for nine months in France (value: 7,500 US-Dollars) was awarded to a woman researcher.

One “ RP-UNESCO Fellowship in support of priority programme areas ” in the field of Cultural Diversity and Political Participation in Peru for six months in Spain (value: 11,212 US-Dollars) was awarded to a woman researcher.

One Fellowship from the “ UNESCO Fellowship Bank, Extra Budgetary Programme ” in the field of Education and Social Education for six months in Argentina (value: 7,500 US-Dollars) was awarded to a woman researcher.

One Co-Sponsored Fellowship (UNESCO/Israel-Mashav) in the field of Education for four weeks in Israel (value: 5,367 US-Dollars) was awarded to a woman researcher.

One Co-Sponsored Fellowship (UNESCO/Republic of Korea-IPDC) in the field of Communication for three weeks in Korea (value: 5,000 US-Dollars) was awarded to a woman researcher.

Poland

Education

Poland is party to UNESCO ’ s Convention against Discrimination in Education since 1964 and reported to UNESCO for the 6 th Consultation on the implementation of the Convention and Recommendation against Discrimination in Education.

UNESCO hopes to receive a comprehensive quality report for the ongoing 7 th Consultation (period 2000-2005).

UNESCO also encourages Poland to ratify the Convention on Technical and Vocational Education (1989).

According to the Constitution of 1997 “ (1) Everyone shall have the right to education. Education to 18 years of age shall be compulsory. The manner of fulfillment of schooling obligations shall be specified by statute; (2) Education in public schools shall be without payment. Statutes may allow for payments for certain services provided by public institutions of higher education (…) ” (Art. 70) and “ [...](2) Men and women shall have equal rights, in particular, regarding education, employment and promotion, and shall have the right to equal compensation for work of similar value, to social security, to hold offices, and to receive public honors and decorations. ” (Art. 33)

FELLOWSHIPS

One Research Fellowship (UNESCO/Japan: Obuchi) in the field of Intercultural Dialogue for six months in Turkey (value: 7,500 US-Dollars) was awarded to a woman researcher.

One “ RP-UNESCO Fellowship in support of priority programme areas ” in the field of Cultural Studies for seven weeks in the United Kingdom (value: 4,295 US-Dollars) was awarded to a woman researcher.

One Co-Sponsored Fellowship (UNESCO/L ’ Oreal) in the field of Life Sciences/Neurobiology for twelve months in Italy (value: 20,383 US-Dollars) was awarded to a woman scientist.

One Research Fellowship (UNESCO/Japan: Obuchi) in the field of Intercultural Dialogue for six months in France and Germany (value: 10,000 US-Dollars) was awarded to a woman researcher.

One “ RP-UNESCO Fellowship in support of priority programme areas ” in the field of Disabled Students, Higher Education and New Technologies for six months in the United Kingdom (value: 15,600 US-Dollars) was awarded to a woman researcher.

Singapore

Not a member state of UNESCO

Suriname

Education

Surinam e is not party to UNESCO ’ s Convention against Discrimination in Education and did not report to UNESCO for the 6 th Consultation on the implementation of the Recommendation against Discrimination in Education.

UNESCO hopes to receive a comprehensive quality report for the ongoing 7 th Consultation (period 2000-2005).

UNESCO is also encouraging Surinam e to ratify the Convention on Technical and Vocational Education (1989).

According to the Constitution of 1987 “ Young people shall enjoy special protection for the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights, among which: a. Access to education, culture and work (…) ” (Art. 37), “ 1. Everyone shall have a right to education and to enjoyment of culture; 2. The provision of education shall be free , subject to State control of all public educational institutions in keeping with the national education policy and the rules regarding education laid down by the State …) ” (Art. 38) and “ 1. The State shall recognize and guarantee the right of all citizens to education and shall offer them equal opportunity for schooling. ” (Art. 39)

Tajikistan

Education

Tajikistan is party to UNESCO ’ s Convention against Discrimination in Education since August 1992 ( notification of succession ) but did not report to UNESCO for the 6 th Consultation on the implementation of the Convention and the Recommendation against Discrimination in Education.

UNESCO hopes to receive a comprehensive quality report for the ongoing 7 th Consultation (period 2000-2005).

UNESCO is also encouraging Tajikistan to ratify the Convention on Technical and Vocational Education (1989).

According to Article 41 of the Constitution of 1994 “ Each person has the right to education . General basic education is obligatory . The government guarantees free high school, trade, and, in accordance with ability and on a competitive basis, specialized high school and university education. ”

The UNESCO Cluster Office in Almaty implemented gender responsive EFA plans and education policies:

advocacy and training for education staff at all levels;

quantitative and qualitative research to design more pertinent strategies for identifying promoting gender equality;

institutional analyses and suggestions for change to facilitate the mainstreaming of gender sensitive education policies;

networking at the national and regional levels

Perspectives for programming activities in training are established during the workshops, including the incorporation of the gendered aspects of education in in-service teacher training systems, strengthening capacity-building of the staff in training institutions and the development of gender sensitive curricula and methodological guidelines. In the area of gender policy-making, the social mobilization of women in rural/urban areas through local community partnerships with NGOs and community-based organizations are discussed along with strategies for integrating gender equality issues and concerns into programme cycle management training programmes.

While working in partnership with NGOs, mass media and the National Commission of Tajikistan for UNESCO, the UNESCO Almaty Office organised mobile teams of journalists to conduct field visits to rural areas to raise awareness on girls ’ education. As a cross-cutting project with the UNESCO Almaty Communications and Information Unit, girl education advocacy campaigns were conducted and journalists were trained on EFA reporting tools and methodologies.

Jointly with an NGO “ Association of Women with Higher Education ” and UNICEF country office a case-study was conducted to analyze the main problems of girls ’ education in Tajikistan . A report in English and Russian languages, “ Girls ’ Education in the Republic of Tajikistan : experience, problems and solutions ” , was published and disseminated for decision makers and educational authorities consideration. As a follow up of this research, the National Commission of Tajikistan for UNESCO developed and implemented the activities on community and civil society involvement to develop recommendations on girls ’ education in Tajikistan .

Jointly with the Central Asian Education Forum Thematic, members of the National Commission organized nine roundtables in Dushanbe for more than 200 participants. The main objectives of the roundtables were to build the competencies of key personnel in Ministries of Education, representatives of local communities and educational authorities on the results of the CA Education Forum and the work of the Thematic group on Girls ’ education, and to discuss the role of educational organizations in increasing girls enrollment in education to mainstream and facilitate the implementation of EFA plans and policies.

In May, 2004 the CARK Education Forum Executive Committee was organized in Tashkent , Uzbekistan , where gender issues in education were discussed at large. As part of the Forum agenda, the Thematic Group on Girls ’ Education discussed their achievements, constraints, perspectives, resources needed and developed a framework for their future action plan. There is still a need of sub ‑ regional surveys where gender related problems are identified, the data is created and disaggregated in the field of enrollment, attainment and completion.

In all the CA countries, Ministries of Education designated Gender Focal Points and Gender Working Groups which enable communication and capacity-building support.

In cooperation with UNESCO Bangkok Regional Office, sub-regional meetings were organized in 2005-2006 with a common theme of “ Assessing Progress in achieving gender equality in Education ” . The general objectives of the sub-regional meetings are to share and learn from experiences in implementing gender in education activities and to increase inter-country networking among the GENIA member states – Tajikistan and Kazakhstan in the CARK sub-region.

In Tajikistan , UNESCO provided training for media professionals on the EFA goals to raise public awareness on the importance of EFA. More than forty Tajik journalists were trained to investigate and raise awareness on the EFA programmes that were implemented at the ‘ Education for All ’ Seminar that was held in Dushanbe , Tajikistan from August 20 th to 21 st , 2004. The skills and knowledge acquired by media professionals were used at another UNESCO activity, ‘ Advocacy for girls ’ education ’ which aimed at ensuring gender equality in EFA.

FELLOWSHIPS

One Co-Sponsored Fellowship (UNESCO/Israel-Mashav) in the field of Biotechnology in Agriculture for seven weeks in Israel (value: 7,960 US-Dollars) was awarded to a woman researcher.