United Nations Radio

Protecting education gains is vital to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and achieving sustainable development.

That's what Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says in a message to a High-Level Group on Education for All.
He says he sees reasons for hope and concern.
Hope, he explains, because in Africa and Asia, there has been genuine progress in expanding access to education.
The Secretary-General says since the year 2000, an additional 40 million children have gained access to school.
But he warns that the financial crisis could undermine efforts to advance the development agenda.
He's concerned that hard-won progress may be lost - something that would have devastating consequences for the world's poorest and most vulnerable.
Secretary-General Ban says "protecting these gains requires our utmost vigilance."
He says "education plays an essential, empowering role for people of every age and every stage of life".
He concludes that "without education, we will not achieve the MDG's or build the better world we seek."

This is Donn Bobb reporting for United Nations Radio.

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