Mercy Global Concern - 2002

Education for All

Please find below information about an action appeal from the global Campaign for Education. The G8 leaders are meeting this month in Canada and you are asked to contact your leader and ask them to support the "Education for All" Action Plan, as one way to get countries back on track with the UN Millennium Development Goal on education. The plan call for a $ 4 billion dollar initial startup costs for this project- an amount LESS THAN 2 days' of Global Military spending and less than what people in the western world will spend on ICE CREAM in the summer months!

Background

The Group of Eight (G8) richest countries will be meeting in Canada this month, and they can make a difference in global education. 125 million children are not enrolled in school. Unless urgent action is taken they will join the ranks of nearly 1 billion illiterate adults in the world. The poorest countries are still paying more on debt servicing than they can afford to pay on schools. In an increasingly knowledge- based global economy, the crisis in education is further marginalizing the people and nations of the South, and driving a greater wedge between rich and poor.

For the first time ever, a concrete solution for the global education crisis will be on the G8 agenda. A special G8 taskforce will recommend that leaders back the Education for All (EFA) action plan. The EFA plan would deliver immediate increases in aid and debt relief to developing countries that are strongly committed to getting children into school.

NGO's, trade unions and child rights activists around the world are asking the G8 to put at least $4 billion dollars on the table to get the "Education for All" campaign underway.

Action Requested

Please help us to make sure the G8 leaders do not shortchange education. Here is what you can do: ·

Send an outline appeal to the leader of your country. Here are some useful addresses:
Jean Chretien, prime Minister of Canada and chair of the G8 summit pm@pm.gc.ca
George Bush, President of the US: president@whitehouse.gov
Junichiro Koizumi, Prime Minister of Japan: Fax + 813 3581 3883
Jacques Chirac, President of France: Fax +33 142928299
Tony Blair, Prime Minister of England: 10 Downing Street. London, England.

Please also visit the website of the campaign at www.campaignforeducation.org
Deirdre Mullan RSM