Statement by Monique Fouilhoux on behalf of the Global Campaign for Education (GCE) and the NGO Collective Consultation - Education 2030, during the debateorganized on the occasion of the high-levelministerial round table organizedduring the UNESCO General Conference on StrengtheningAccountability in Implementing SDG4 - Education 2030
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
The successfulimplementation of SDG4 is a collective responsibility, however, as the Director of the Global Monitoring Report on Education (GMRE) has pointed out, itis the primaryresponsibility of States to guarantee the implementation of the right to education, in all its dimensions, and to ensurethatfundingat national and international levelsisprovided.
Governments are accountable to theircitizens and must makeevery effort to build the trust thatisoftenlacking and one of the most effective meansis the establishment of transparent accountabilitymechanisms to identifyresponsibilities of each.
Accountabilityis a fundamental aspect that has been lackingso far in thiscontext of implementing SDG4 and the recommendationsthat are proposed to enable the design and implementation of strong, clear and understandableaccountabilitysystems for the implementation of SDG4, are welcome and quiterealistic.
With regard to financing, we note withconcernthat, on the one hand, public expenditure on educationisoftenbelow the 4% to 6% of GDP proposed in the Framework for Action, and on the other hand, thatin 2014, educationexpenditurewasbelow the threshold of 15 to 20% of public expenditurealsoproposed in the Framework of Action adoptedheretwoyearsago.
Regardingdevelopmentaidexpenditure, we are worried to seethatin 2015, for the fifthyear in a row, itwaslowerthanin 2010, whichreinforcesourconcern: Education is not anymore the priority of donors.
In thiscontext, we support the GPE process for replenishmentwhichwillculminatewith the Dakar Conference, hosted by Senegal and France, nextFebruary. GCE launched a FinancingCampaign and a Compact on domesticfinancingbelaunchedthisweek in support of ouradvocacy efforts.
A previous speaker told us thataccountabilitybeginswithhonesty to continue withdetermination.
To conclude, I wouldlike to saythat civil society organizationscanplay an important role in theseprocesses of accountabilityat all levels and thatwe are determined to engage in thisnecessary collective work.
Weoweit to the millions of children and adults, especially the mostvulnerable, whorely on us and oursense of responsibility, to build a sustainable future.