Publication : Press Release

GENEVA (28 September 2015) – The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to education, Kishore Singh, today called on all UN Member States to announce without delay their plans to realize the right to education in line with the new Agenda for Sustainable Development, which aims to end poverty by 2030 and universally promote shared economic prosperity, social development and environmental protection. Welcoming the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals -the successor to the Millennium Development Goals- in New York on Sunday, he noted that “political commitments made by governments to education goals in future development agenda will remain hollow unless governments take real action to expand educational opportunities and restore public confidence in good quality public education.” “This is all the more important as education is a key instrument to eradicate poverty, and for achieving any of the new development goals,” the human rights expert stressed. The Special Raporteur emphasized that achieving free, universal secondary education of good quality, to which international community is committed, cannot happen unless governments’ investment in education is significantly enhanced. “This will require new investments, as well as ensuring existing funds are well spent,” he said. “These goals expand free, universal education to the secondary level, and call for full equality between boys and girls. These commitments require not just financial support, but bold political actions to address the barriers which have kept many children out of school,” Mr. Singh added. - See more at: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=16512&LangID=E#sthash.2icU6LdE.dpuf

Information Source : New Sustainable Development Goals: UN expert urges Governments to announce plans on education

• OHCHR