The Spanish Cooperation bets on meeting the millennium objectives for education

• The Spanish Agency of International Cooperation (AECI) and the General Bureau of Planning and Evaluation of Policies for Development are jointly organizing a seminar, along with the Carolina Foundation, to introduce to the NGOs and other Spanish Cooperation actors, the Education for All-Fast Track Initiative, a global partnership that is working to achieve universal primary education by 2015, and a partnership in which Spain has been actively participating since 2004.

Madrid, January 22, 2007. The seminar, which begins next Thursday, February 1st and will be inaugurated by the Secretary of State of International Cooperation, Leire Pajín, and the Director of AECI, Juan Pablo de Laiglesia, will include the participation, among others, of Desmond Bermingham, Director of EFA-FTI (Education For All - Fast Track Initiative) and Kailash Satyarthi, President of Global Campaign for Education.

The EFA-FTI (Education for All - Fast Track Initiative) was created in 2002 as a global partnership between donor countries and developing countries in order to accelerate the achievement of objective nº2 of the millennium development goals to achieve universal primary education by the year 2015.

The EFA-FTI works through mutual commitments. Donor countries lend greater financial and technical assistance in a coordinated, transparent and predictable manner. While partner countries–recipient countries- agree to assign maximum priority to primary education and prepare solid education plans.

Spain has participated in this initiative since 2005 with a total amount of 24 million Euros, and foresees a minimum investment of 13 million for 2007 with the purpose of supporting the planning and execution of the education plans of its partner countries.

Spain has participated in this initiative since 2005 with a total amount of 24 million Euros, and foresees a minimum investment of 13 million for 2007 with the purpose of supporting the planning and execution of the education plans of its partner countries.

More than 30 bilateral, regional and international agencies and development banks make up the group of donors of the EFA-FTI, among them: Germany, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, the European Commission, Denmark, Spain, the United States, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Norway, New Zealand, Netherlands, Portugal, United Kingdom, Russia, Sweden, and Switzerland. In addition, the following multilateral agencies are also included: AFD, World Bank, AsDB, IDB, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNESCO, UNICEF, and the coalition of education NGOs that comprise the Global Campaign for Education (GCE).

Currently the following 28 countries have had their education plans endorsed by the EFA-FTI: Albania, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guyana, Honduras, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Moldova, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Niger, Kyrgyz Republic, Rwanda, Senegal, Tajikistan, Timor Leste, Yemen and Djibouti. It is foreseen that this group of donors partner countries will increase in the next two years, when it is expected that up to 45 countries will participate.

Inauguration of the Education for All – Fast Track Initiative Seminar Location:
Spanish Agency for International Cooperation (AECI)
Avd/ Reyes Católicos nº4. Madrid. Metro Moncloa
Time: 11.30 h
Date: February 1, 2007

In order to schedule interviews or for more information:
AECI Communication Department
comunicación@aeci.es
91 583 81 37/ 85 61