Today, November 14, 2019 – The Minister of Education attends the 40th Session of the UNESCO General Conference in Paris, France, with a focus on galvanizing more support in programs from UNESCO and member countries. Upon arrival, and following the opening session of the conference, the Minister and his team have line up series of engagement meetings with counterparts of the Education Sector of member states and non-governmental organization with sight on exploring ways to improve education delivery in Liberia through innovative programs. The engagements include a meeting with the Chief of Section of Teacher Development and Head of Secretariat of the Taskforce on Teachers Division for Support and Coordination of Education 2030, UNESCO, Dr. Edem Adubra. As a result of that meeting, Liberia has been invited to attend the Teacher Taskforce Dialogue in Dubai next month where the emphasis is placed on a recent declaration adopted that advocates for teacher’s education and ensuring that teachers issues stay at the center of global education agenda “preparing teachers for the future we want”.
The Minister of Education, along with Minister of Youth and Sports, Honorable Zeogar Wilson, also held discussions with the Assistant Director-General for Education and the Director of Sports and Youth Development to solicit Liberia’s inclusion on the list of countries to benefit from the Fifa Football for Schools project. Professor Sonii in his speech at the 40th Session of the General Conference, amplified the tune expressing Liberia’s interest in the program. He stressed the importance of Football as a unifying tool of promoting positive values and character changes as well as by the virtue of the Liberian President been the only Ballon d’or winner of the African continent, thus far, speaks volume to Liberia’s request for integration into the Fifa Football for Schools project.
Highlights of milestones of the Liberian delegation specific to the education sector championed by the dynamic Minister, Professor Sonii includes, the rectification of the convention on Higher Education and TVET for the first time since 1981, the establishment of a collaboration with Sierra Leone on TVET, STEM and Innovation as well as through the Ministry of Youth and Sports. The delegation also through several high-level engagements, has strengthened cooperation with Serbia and the United Arab Emirates on the exchange of Sports and Culture. Crowning these engagements, Liberia has emerged as Co-chair for the Education Commission Committee of UNESCO.
For his part speaking at the General Conference, Professor Sonii extended greetings from His Excellency President George Manneh Weah and the people of Liberia and on their behalf congratulated the President of the 40th Session of the General Conference of UNESCO as he reaffirms Liberia’s commitments to the ideas and principles of the Institution. The Minister also used the occasion to solicit support for capacity building and skills training in related areas as a means of sustaining the preservation of Liberia’s heritage; citing the country’s commitment to education and youth development as outlined in Liberia’s four-year plan, the Pro-poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development. He announced there and then that Liberia is co-sponsoring Benin’s Resolution on Slave Rules, an action that boasters President Weah’s plan to establish heritage through his industry. He also highlighted the government’s emphasis on promoting Human Rights and shared lights on Liberia as an honest place for investment, while using the opportunity to demonstrate Liberia ‘s rich culture and impressive touristic sites as he exhibited a Liberia that is welcoming to its friends and investors.
The UNESCO General Conference is a supreme decision-making body of the organization composed of representatives of UNESCO’s members’ states that determines the policies and the main lines of work of the Organization.
The team is expected to continue to engage other actors further to find ways to plead Liberia’s case for support to the education sector, including TVET and inclusive education.
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