MEDIA ADVISORY
High Level Heads of States Dialogue on “Financing Africa’s Future: Unlocking Development Potentials through Education”
INVITATION TO MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES
WHAT: African Union to host High Level Heads of States Dialogue on “Financing Africa’s Future: Unlocking Development Potentials through Education”
WHEN: 27th January 2018
Lunch time
WHERE: The African Union Commission - Addis Ababa Ethiopia
WHO: AUC Department of Human Resources, Science and Technology in Collaboration with Global Partnership for Education and One Campaign and other event sponsors including UNICEF, PLAN International, UNESCO, UNFPA, and Save the Children International.
WHY:
For Heads of State to discuss how to guarantee quality education financing for ensuring that the goals of Agenda 2063 and the SDGs will be realized as articulated in the Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA 16-25). Key Partner agencies will also provide input. Discussions topics will include enhancing the quality, efficiency and inclusiveness of education financing, enhancing local financing, and promoting accountability for international financing commitments.
Objectives:

The high level meeting will bring together African Heads of State, leaders in quality education, global partners and youth to address the key challenge of financing education within the context of the Continental Education Strategy, Agenda 2063 and global SDGs, with the following objectives:
i. To strengthen Africa’s continental leadership, and add its voice to the global discussions on increasing education financing;
ii. To generate a concrete message of commitment to providing quality financing to education as foundational to harnessing Africa’s demographic dividend and achieving continental and global development goals ;
iii. To highlight specific changes necessary to ensure progress in realizing inclusive transformative education in Africa ;
iv. To highlight the need for quality education financing to be equitable, efficient, effectively monitored, managed, and able to reach the most marginalized;
v. To highlight the importance of financing and investment in girls education including gender responsive budgeting and formulate policy recommendations to the AU Assembly on investments and interventions needed to promote girls education;
vi. To provide a statement on education financing to the AU Committee of Ten Heads of State Champions for Education, Science and Technology

Media Contact:
Mrs. Esther Azaa Tankou| Head of Information Division | African Union Commission | Tel: +251 (0) 911361185| E-mail: yamboue@africa-union.org|
For further information:
Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@african-union.org I Website: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia
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