A world worth living in is one where all women and men can live in dignity, where they can exercise citizenship, and their right to create, to learn and to think and act critically. It is a world where everyone can express and voice their opinion in a context that understands and celebrates plurality and the peaceful resolution of conflict as the cornerstones of democracy. A world, too, where all can learn from our differences, strengthen solidarity and community building, and where everyone can participate on equal terms in public life.

A world worth living in is one where the world economy is at the service of the well being of women and men, where all can participate freely and with dignity, develop their full potential and enjoy the benefits of this shared achievement.

A world worth living in is aware of the need to change radically the ways we produce and consume, a planet where nature is not taken as a capital to be exploited for furthering economic growth, where citizens become more vigilant and proactive at both global and local level, and where clean and safe energy is secured for all.

So, a world worth living in includes a holistic view that recognizes the interdependence of environmental, social, cultural and economic perspectives, and poses challenges that demand collective sharing of responsibility – both at local, regional, national and global level.

A world worth living in is a world where the Universal Declaration of Human Rights must apply to all men and women living in one country or migrating around our planet. It is a world where equality and social justice prevails, overcoming all forms of discrimination, and where patriarchy is overcome. It is a world where, in achieving real equality, recognition and redistribution go hand in hand. A world worth living in is a multicultural world whose splendor and richness resides in the celebration of its diversity, and one which recognizes the linguistic rights of peoples.

A world worth living in is a world where everyone children and adults enjoys the right to read and write. Since we now have a world where seventy million children, mostly girls, do not have a place in school and where nearly one billion adults, overwhelmingly women, have no chance of learning to read and write we need a commitment for urgent transformation.

A world worth living in is a world economy that includes, values and recognizes the informal economy where women in great numbers are active in care work and in subsistence production and as informal educators. It is a world where care work is a shared responsibility of government, enterprises and families, and where educational programmes and plans help to overcome stereotyping and the sexual division of labour.

A world worth living in is a multilateral world complying with United Nations’ rules and a world governance strengthened by meaningful participation from a globally and locally informed civil society.

A world worth living in needs high quality learning experiences, skilled educators enjoying better work conditions, drawing on rich practices from all parts of the world, including popular education, feminist education and education for transformation.

Such an active learning world, enriched by mutual learning across boundaries of all sorts is today a necessity more than ever. Yet it cannot become a reality without the full participation and mobilization of a learning civil society.

We, the participants, declare that education and learning is a fundamental human right that enables the realisation of other human rights. We are committed to working to make sure that this right can be a reality enjoyed by adults and youth out of school throughout the world.

We recognise that much has been done to recognise priorities for international action. The MDGs, EFA and CONFINTEA are all inter-related, but coherence in implementation and monitoring is missing. None of the MDGs can be achieved without making the right to learn a reality, yet it is not visible in the goals and indicators. We are committed to the achievement of the MDGs, EFA goals and the CONFINTEA agenda in a mutually-reinforcing manner and will be involved in all the important advocacy efforts on the global level.

We call on civil society organizations to review their processes, and forge strategies to nurture the emerging new way of life and a new economic and ecological solidarity, and to discuss how another planet is possible, where all have access to clean and safe energy, in order to reach the critical levels of consciousness required to sustain action on climate justice.

We insist that States, UN agencies and multilateral organizations recognize how poverty and social exclusion cannot be dissociated from the structural inequalities reflected in and reinforced by the increasingly uneven distribution of learning provision.

We acknowledge that, within a lifelong learning framework, social exclusion not only means exclusion from learning opportunities but also the perpetuation of a knowledge hierarchy which, consciously or unconsciously, excludes access to certain types of knowledge. In a world worth living in, access to all forms of knowledge will be open and democratised, and we call upon States to develop action plans to that end.

We ask States to guarantee the right to education for young people and adults, and especially the fundamental right to basic education without discrimination, to give these key rights the legal status they deserve, and to allocate the resources required for their full implementation. There is no more urgent priority than this.

We require new adult learning and education policies where adult learning and education is not seen as an additional expense, an appendix to education policy, but as an essential part of the solution to the challenges facing humanity today. People without access to learning opportunities and power need active state support and an effective adult education infrastructure. Special attention should be given to sponsoring programmes that secure equality of voice, representation, recognition, empowerment as autonomous citizens for women.

We invite States to look at the uniqueness of “folkbildning/folkeoplysning”, the popular and non formal education provided in the Nordic countries, and to recognize the impact of such learning on health, on environment, on intergenerational education, on citizenship and the quality of life. Adults have a right to be well informed and to understand the changes that affect their lives, and those of their wider society; to participate in those changes, and to shape them. Learning has a key role to play in enabling them to do so.

We live in a world rich in the diverse experience of its peoples. We need policies that foster respect and draw inspiration from the concerns, distinctive knowledge and history of its indigenous peoples.

We propose that States, unions, enterprises and social actors should frame their work-related adult learning and education policies to maximize the positive role that learning can plan in technological and industrial change and to avoid jeopardizing the right to decent work for all. These policies should address the risks of further exclusion of already disadvantaged communities. They should recognize how changes in the formal economy generate new demands for learning for every woman and man in the workforce, as old jobs are displaced by new technologies and ways of working. And they should recognize how meeting the full and multidimensional learning demands of women and men will create more effective and sustainable workplaces and contribute substantially to the achievement of the right to decent work for all.

We ask States, in their work-related adult learning and education policies, to take into account the massive expansion of migration within and across boundaries of young people and adults who flee violence and political oppression, and move in order to survive, and of people moving to search for decent work. We invite UN and ILO to monitor the full implementation of norms and convention on the rights of migrants and their families.

We ask, too, for Member States, UN agencies and multilateral agencies to assure the educational needs of peoples in low-lying states, especially in Asia and the South Pacific, where rising sea-levels threaten livelihoods and the loss of nationhood.

We call on states to recognise the role education has in preparing offenders for re-integration and full participation in society, and to ensure access to education in prison.

In addition, in order to enable women working as carers and retired people to fulfil their potential we need a cultural and organisational transformation at the level of family, community and the State so that all can contribute to and benefit from the care economy, and to participate effectively in the public sphere. Learning is a key to this transformation.

We ask UNESCO to go on monitoring thoroughly the implementation of the Belem Plan of Action adopted in 2009 and, as required in Belem, to call on Members States to report on their implementation of the Belem Plan of Action adopted in 2009, to invest in civil society organisations’ full involvement in the process, and to disseminate these reports at world level.

Claudia Pioli has put togheter this slideshow with pictures from the world assembly accompanied by the music of Wood Raft.

See slide show

The VIII ICAE World Assembly was celebrated between the 15th and 16th of June 2011, in the city of Malmoe, Sweden. On this occasion, 700 participants from 82 countries debated with rigor and passion the world we envision as worth living in, the obstacles that hinder its achievement, the transformation that is called for and, within this context, the role of adult learning and education.

In line with its participatory culture, debate among members and invited guests started well in advance of the actual gathering. Between March and April of this year, four series of virtual seminars where held on the structuring themes of the ICAE World Assembly: (1) Lifelong learning for sustainability in a climate changing world; (2) Follow up to the MDGs, the EFA Goals and the CONFINTEA agenda; (3) No right to decent work without decent learning and (4) The Nordic folkbildning and worldwide challenges. Over the period of one month, a total of 68 contributions and comments circulated by email, paving the way for deepened debate at the World Assembly. The choice of the four structuring themes reflect the intention of framing the debate on adult learning and education within a broader perspective and the recognition that debates take place in context, considering time and space.

In this sense, two contextual issues regarding where the Assembly took place are important: the first is the inestimable contribution of Nordic popular learning and liberal education to the field of Adult Education. Folk Schools were first founded in Denmark in 1844, then in Sweden in 1868, with the apparition of study circles as early as 1902. The tradition and practice of Nordic folkbildning have been kept alive to the present day.

The second important contextual issue is the choice of Malmoe as the host city for the World Assembly. In tune with the assumption taken by the World Social Forums that another world is possible as well as with the vision of the present ICAE Assembly that we must move towards a world worth living in, Malmoe city, in face of a crisis 20 years ago, decided to shift from being an industrial city to a sustainable and environmental city. Today, the city, which is host to 134 different nationalities, prides itself in having become a 21st century eco city. Learning, understanding and empowering people was key, highlighting the central importance of adult learning and education in promoting change.

Regarding the timing of the Assembly, it stands out that we are amidst a set of structural crises that stem from the subordination of the world to the hegemonic force of capital and that has led to multiple processes of increased dehumanization, loss of dignity and planetary destruction. At stake in such a context are all human and environmental rights, including the right to education and the right to adult learning and education in particular. Today, 700 million are still illiterate, two thirds being women, and the 2011 Education for All Global Monitoring Report estimates three quarters of the countries will miss the targets related to adult education.

On the other hand, it is precisely within such a context that education is placed as central in social movements´ agenda. Key to the debate is which education is needed, in order to strengthen citizenship, promote critical thinking and action and advance all human rights. In the field of adult learning and education, the International Forum of Civil Society (FISC) prior to the 2009 CONFINTEA Conference, in which ICAE had a leading role, was an outstanding moment for such debate, as can be the follow up and monitoring processes to the Belem Framework for Action as well as to the MDGs and EFA goals that culminate in 2015.

Similarly worthy of note is the upcoming Rio + 20 United Nation Conference on Sustainable Development in June 2012, which will be a key opportunity to engage in analysis, debate and the drawing of commitments towards a people-centered paradigm that dignifies human beings.

Critically understanding where we stand is the first step to confront and overcome the many challenges we face. Unequal distribution of wealth and assets across and within countries has been a marking (and growing) characteristic of our world for centuries as has been the multiple forms of discrimination that prevail. Inequality builds on patriarchal structures and overcoming patriarchalism remains a key challenge for all those who fight for justice.

The current set of crises currently in place go hand in hand with a breakdown of legitimacy of the current economic power, without yet a fall of the military and political power. There is as well a loss of hegemony of power coordination that has been perpetuated since the end of the Second World War. This is a scenario of disorder, a melting pot, which at the same time that provokes uncertainty and risk, also opens breaches for advancing the various disputes that must take place for deepening democracy and promoting a world where the economy is placed at the service of the well being and well living of all.
Although the legitimacy of the current model is shaken, the world is still subordinated to the hegemonic force of capital which, faced with the crisis, can attain even more aggressive strains to guarantee its prevalence and recycle versions of itself, such as the so called “green business”, that gives fresh impetus to an unviable model that offers only questionable technology and privatization as an utopia. The subordination of the world to capital has deep and overarching consequences to mankind and to nature. One underlying issue is the flexibility of labor and its precariousness, understanding that the inequalities that mark our world sit on flexible and precarious labor.

Multiple gender discrimination marks the issue of women and labor. Firstly, the labor market discriminates against women in their access to work, in the stigmatization that takes place, the significantly lower salaries received and in the more difficult ascent to power positions. Furthermore, scarce recognition is given to the value of unpaid care work, which is still strictly associated to the domain of women in gender division of roles. Additionally, a growing phenomenon is the accumulation of work by migrant woman who bear a double economic responsibility, working abroad and sending their salaries to their home countries.

The hegemonic force of capital also has underpinnings in the relation of women and men with nature and the environment. Under this model, there is an unsustainable pattern of production and consumption fed by an unlimited exploitation of nature for profit generation, where nature is thereby increasingly privatized, concentrating profit, increasing inequalities and disentitling entire populations. In this scenario, science and technology are often appropriated by the logic of market to serve its purpose and ethical and social considerations are stripped away. International power architecture has furthered environmental problems as States prefer to abide to rules from the World Trade Organization, which in fact run opposite of what is claimed in multilateral environmental agreements.

On the other hand, we have been experiencing some new, original and inspiring efforts to propose alternative models. Initiatives under the frameworks of ‘environmental justice’, ‘climate justice’ and ‘biodiversity justice’ are in place around the globe, where the latter places the custodians of biodiversity- women farmers, indigenous people, fisher folk- at the center of policy making. Furthermore, different countries have been including environmental rights along with social, cultural and economic rights and Ecuador has recognized in its constitution nature as a right bearer. The Buen Vivir (or ‘well-living’) paradigm gaining ground in Latin America, claims for different ways of living together, and living together well, equitably, recreating the human-nature relations, inspired by the indigenous peoples’ ways of living and perceiving the world.

We have also seen the raising of voices and movements, articulating collective action around environmental, climate and economic justice. Women have had a pivotal role and are key change agents in struggles over fossil fuel exploitation, pollution and environmental health, for food sovereignty, against privatization of nature, access to renewable energy, among others.

In fact, inspiring movements and collective voices are multiplying all over the world, crossing the North-South divide, involving men and women of all age groups, with an encouraging prevalence of youth and an especially outstanding participation of women in the Arab Spring. These claims for deepened democracy, increased freedom of expression, recognition, auto determination and social justice are a show of resistance and indignation in face of an unsettling world which we can, and will, change.

Recognizing the political underpinnings of education is central for bringing about the change we envisage. ICAE and sister social movements and organizations act in defense and promotion of adult learning and education in the perspective of political and social transformation. We place at the heart of our debate and action the fostering of critical thinking, of learning in dialogue with one another, the reading of the world in order to change it. It is inspired in the richness of our collective experience, with what we have learnt with popular education, feminist education, folkbildning, and so many other experiences, that we move forward the struggle for the right to adult learning and education. It is with this understanding and accumulated experience that we demand from the States, from international organizations and other policy makers, appropriate measurers towards social, environmental, economic and gender justice and within this, the right for adult learning and education.

Adult learning and Education is a right enshrined in the International Covenant of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The committee of this Covenant has clearly stated that “the realization of the right to education is not limited neither by age or by sex, it applies to girls and boys, young and adult people, including the elderly”. On the other hand, the CONFINTEA process dated from long ago, has offered an inspiring and holistic vision of adult learning and education. Taking adult education as a right, fostering the broad vision of adult education developed by the movement and sharing our accumulated experience, ICAE and its sister networks and organizations will be fully in place to contribute towards a world worth living in.

Even before the VIII Assembly was opened, women were mobilized in a global consultation convened by GEO – Gender and Education Office of ICAE. This meeting took place on 14 June, from 9 am to 5pm, in the city of Malmo, Sweden, and gathered 60 representatives of civil society organizations from around the world. 
The main objective was to promote a space for reflection from a feminist perspective on the multiple crises, the emergence of new paradigms and the role of adult education in the construction of “a world worth living in”. It also sought to strategically organize the participation of women in the ICAE World Assembly, which is beginning tomorrow.  
The session opened with the welcome words by Paul Bélanger and Celita Eccher, respectively the president and the secretary general of ICAE. Bélanger stressed the importance of GEO recognizing the contributions of the women’s movement for ICAE in its entirety. “Today, the issue of gender is everywhere, in health, justice, environment and social issues,” he said. Celita stressed the horizontal nature of the network: “Women who are willing to work without too much protocol or any authority, but well organized,” recognizing as a strength the capacity that is ICAE has today to mainstream gender in all situations.

Old and new global challenges
Participants had the challenge of mapping collectively the global context, considering old and new challenges and the possibilities of alternatives and new paradigms to them, as well as its implications for gender equity.
Gina Chiwela, from the movement People Action Forum in Zambia, noted that in sub-Saharan countries the fact of “being a girl or woman” greatly diminishes the possibility of access to education, as do the scenarios of conflict or poverty.

Another serious warning came from the Arab region. Here, despite the active and outstanding role of women in the recent revolutions that took place in Egypt, Libya and others, the fact of making legal, policy and practice changes is still an open issue.

Bernadette Brady, director of the Institute of Adult Education in Ireland, shared some trends on gender issues that also concern the European region. According to the European Commission report on education, gender gaps are highlighted in specific aspects, such as the teaching profession, which remains predominantly feminine – except for management positions and those in universities, where most teachers are men.  

Yoko Arai (JAPSE-IALLA), from Japan, spoke about the critical context in which her country is now after the nuclear accident, earthquake and tsunami they lived. There, “people forgot about the risks of nuclear energy. In the past, civil society warnings were ignored, but now these same groups become important by sharing information on the Internet. More with regard to education, students should be heard, for only in this way learning can help overcome the disasters,” she said.

Finally, Gigi Francisco (DAWN), from the Philippines, pointed out three global changes that must be taken into account regarding policy: the change in the State, of market and of movements – including women. In the state, she said, one can see new participation mechanisms and regulatory frameworks long demanded by civil society in the 80 and 90 and put us ahead of the issues: “But would it only be rhetoric? How can we demand the implementation of policies?” The second change to think about is on the market; today, the so called “philanthropic capital” gains strength, a phenomenon about which we must ask: “How to deal with this and what does it represent for the permanence of inequalities?” In this scenario, the situation of social movements also changes, often without resources for their actions, they face the ongoing challenge of developing solutions to move forward with their agenda.

New possibilities and paradigms
New alternatives were raised, as the paradigm of “living well”, which only now gains strength in Latin America and the Caribbean, as Nicole Bidegain (ICAE) recalled, by being discussed and incorporated into the new constitutions of Bolivia and Ecuador. In this sense, Maria Oviedo, from the Bolivian Campaign for the Right to Education, spoke of the importance of marrying the fight against the colonial model to the fight against patriarchy, based on the unprecedented government experience developed now in Bolivia.
In that country, the living well of indigenous peoples has been generating policies that propose a break with the colonial system, based on the dictates of some skills over others. Simultaneously, feminists from Bolivia had the initiative to add strategies to dismantle the patriarchy, especially in the education system, contributing to a structural change to overcome the asymmetries between men and women, exclusion, discrimination, and hierarchies. Also, they participated in the long process of advocacy on the Law of Education and managed to include in this legal framework many approaches that contribute to the construction of a new educational system.

Francis Quimpo, from the Centre for Environmental Affairs of the Philippines, spoke about the importance of education for sustainability in a changing world. The Pacific Asia especially suffered extreme weather events in recent years and, although most countries had ratified the legal framework for environmental sustainability, neoliberal policies continue to impact on sustainable development and so, is essential to encourage critical thinking, especially among women, for the implementation of alternative economic systems.

Lourdes Angulo (REPEM), from Mexico, presented a new vision about the economy of care and showed that from this perspective, development alternatives open to women. “For too long, the androcentric perspective prevailed: by equating economy with markets and paid work, joined women, who in general are out of this world, and women to non-economic, worthless, invisible”, she raised. The panelist defended a more elongated vision of economy that can give an account of alternative practices, whose axes are not monetization, but a variety of trading styles, with different forms of remuneration. It is therefore an economy built far beyond the resources and financial categories, which also includes non-financial and human categories. “Only from this perspective we can discuss more deeply the senses of well being,” she said.

Finally, Sofia Valdivieso (GEO), from Spain, presented a proposal of indicators to monitor equality in education, recognizing the limits of the indicators of access. Taking into account the existence of different types of inequalities between men and women – namely the unequal in treatment, expectations, conditions, representation and reference models, she argued that “it is necessary to adopt qualitative indicators that, in addition to access, give account of equal treatment and status”.
Faced with these considerations, the participants will work over the coming days with proposals and strategies in the Assembly of the International Council of Adult Education.

Photos

video

This is just beginning, but what a start!!! Encounters with faces known in similar events, shy smiles shared by those who recognize each other, tight hugs with almost strangers with whom we shared some indelible memory, outrageous laughter (I’m speaking in English with another Uruguayan or in French with an Englishman – who obviously does not speak a word in French).

And then, then work: some (I can count them on the fingers of my hands) volunteer interpreters (3 professionals, the rest … well, we are the rest – those who do what we can). So what do we do?: we sit in a corner of a room with our investiture (a bunch of colored ribbons) inviting all those who need translation to approach us, and we smile (but just to hide the panic we feel: we have never done this before and we hesitate whether we will be able to open our mouth and make a sound) but we keep smiling and go. We think we’re going to sit there to tell what others are saying, but soon we realize we’re running from one corner to another, changing the language as shirts, making signs and gestures to cover the silence (we did not understand anything and we have 10 staring faces anxious wishing to know – we too!!!

Help!!!
Socorro!!!
Aide!!!
Hjälp!!!

 And then, then the reward, despite all the small mistakes, small parts without translation, gestures, faces of panic (after 5 minutes of translation, your smile vanishes and everyone can see your face of terror – and just out of “Freddy Krueger, Jason and Terminator attack again”). The wonderful reward of gratitude of those confused faces that appreciate your effort and understand that what we are doing is breaking down barriers, getting closer, trying to get to the other, all the others to understand each other. And then yes, there is “the jackpot”, the jackpot of all lotteries in the world: is true: we are all together, side by side, each one contributing their part to make this world a world worth living in, and it is, we’re living that…
And to top it, the cherry on top of the ice-cream: Malmo and its people: how wonderful, a harmonious city that gives us an incredible welcome with joy, warmth and the friendliness of its people.

Thanks ICAE, thanks “supergirls” of the general secretariat, thanks Malmo and its people, thanks Ounsi, Natalia, Rita and Ale … without your help and adaptability … … … I don’t even want to think about it.

You can follow the conference live from this link.