Sao Paulo (22nd - 24th January)

The world's largest civil society coalition on Education For All, Global Campaign for Education has unanimously re-elected Kailash Satyarthi, Chairperson of Global March Against Child Labour and founder of Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save the Childhood Movement) as its President. Assibi Napoe of Education International has been elected as Chairperson. The meeting took place in Sao Paulo, Brazil from the 22nd- 24th January, and was attended by more than 180 campaigners, with close to 300 participants attending the opening ceremony, which was addressed by Luiz Dulci, Brazil's Minister for General Secretary of the Presidency. The congress was addressed by FTI Secretariat and the UN Special Rapporteur on Education Rights, Vernor Munez.

The other elected board members are Maria Khan (GCE Vice Chair & ASPBAE), Matar Baldeh (Gambia EFA Net), Edicio dela Torre (Philippines ENET), Elie Jouen (Global March Against Child Labour), Daniel Cara (Brazilian CDE), Gaston De La Haye (Education International), David Archer (Action Aid International), Imad Sabi (Oxfam International), Gorgui Sow (ANCEFA), Helga Hjetland (Norway's Union of Education)
The participants have reaffirmed there strong commitment to realise the Education For All goals without giving any excuse to the international community. The campaigners allege that illiteracy is the biggest scandal of our times, and educations is in serious crisis. The so-called war against terror has been used as tool for reparations, and globalisation is adding to impoverishment of over billion people. The presence of 72 million out-of-school children and 700 millions illiterate adult is proof of gross human right violation, which is intolerable and unacceptable according to delegates. The delegates demanded that the rich countries must honour their promises made to the world's children by enhancing the Official Development Aid (ODA) to $18 billion for ensuring Education For All for children of good quality.

"Its for the first time that such large number of committed individual and organisation gathered under on roof to make Education For All a reality," said Kailash Satyarthi. "Education is affordable and achievable and GCE through its unique character of children, teachers and NGO's collective effort, will generate adequate political-will through mass actions and force politicians to keep their promises."

GCE was set up in 1999 ahead of the Dakar World Education Forum, to ensure civil society input and pressure on all government commitments and progress towards Education for All. Mandated to campaign until the Education for All GCE due to the growth and strengthening of a civil society movement –GCE contributed to progress in some aspects of the EFA goals. The number of out of school children fell from 100 million in 2000 to 72 million in 2007.

Congratulation Virginia Murillo Herrera and Cléophas Mally, International Council Member of Global March Against Child Labour appointed by Secretary General as member of the UN Voluntary Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery  for 3 years period 1 January 2008- 31 December 2010).