Living and Learning Internationally for a Viable Future: Reflecting on UNESCO CONFINTEA VI

Abstract

International travel has the potential to expand one's learning horizons exponentially, especially with the abundantly enriching experiences of adult, continuing, and lifelong learning conferences. You, the reader, are invited to virtually consider new horizons (deeper, broader, higher, and wider) without leaving your home. CONFINTEA VI (The Sixth World International Conference in Adult Education) sponsored by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and organized by the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) was held in Belem, Para, Brazil, December 1-4, 2009. UNESCO conducts an International Assembly on Adult Learning every 12 years. CONFINTEA V was held in Hamburg, Germany, July 14-18, 1997. All of the documents developed as background for Assemblies, and those produced by the Assemblies as the Official Documents, are available for viewing and printing: http://www.unesco.org/en/confinteavi/. Thus, you may begin virtually expanding your adult education horizons. Participation and Adult Education Definition CONFINTEA VI had 144 UNESCO member states represented in Belem, with nearly 1200 participants from civil society organizations, social partners, United Nations agencies, intergovernmental agencies, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and the private sector. This was the first out of six times since 1949 that UNESCO was holding this International Assembly (now labeled CONFINTEA) in the Southern Hemisphere. A Civil Society Pre-Conference, entitled The International Civil Society Forum (FISC), sponsored by the International Council of Adult Education (ICAE), was held in Belem, Para, Brasil, November 28-30, 2009, just prior to CONFINTEA VI, the first time FISC was held prior to the Assembly. Having conducted adult education activities in the city of Belem (at the mouth of the mighty Amazon River, although not well known like Rio de Janiero and Sao Paulo) numerous times over a 25 year period through the Partners of the Americas, made it especially exciting for me that UNESCO chose Belem for CONFINTEA VI and FISC. I arrived in Belem on May 5, 2009 to conduct seven adult education workshops, prior to what was to be my participation in FISC and CONFINTEA VI later in May. On May 8, however, the Brazilian Government made the official announcement that FISC and CONFINTEA VI were postponed because of the H1N1 concern that was making its presence felt around the globe. FISC and CONFINTEA VI were to be scheduled later in 2009. Notwithstanding the postponement, the rescheduled FISC Pre-Conference in November, 2009 had nearly 800 enthusiastic participants. There were two very important aspects of the FISC Pre-Conference: (a) this was an extended time period providing the opportunity for people to discuss in-depth a variety of issues considered in the numerous concurrent sessions, along with the expression of overarching themes presented in a couple of plenary sessions, that would be recommended to CONFINTEA VI for inclusion in the culminating documents and final report, and (b) this was also a time prior to CONFINTEA VI for people and groups to consider elements they felt were overlooked during FISC and perhaps would need to be included in the overall reporting of FISC. Most disappointing, however, was the overlooking and exclusion, by FISC (at the Pre-Conference and in subsequent reporting of that event), of a civil society contribution by the Partners of The Americas (POA) people-to-people program,(Companheiros das Americas in Brasil), that since 1966 has been integral to North-South relations in the Western Hemisphere (North America, Central America, and South America). Moreover, this includes part of the Southern Hemisphere where this UNESCO Assembly was being held for the first time. Partners of the Americas was started in 1966, growing out of President Kennedy's Alliance for Progress, with specific states or cities in the USA partnered with a specific state or city in Central or South America. …