Education and the Stability Pact:Priorities, Funding and Partnerships in South Eastern Europe”Graz, 9th/10th March 2000The Task Force on Education and Youth of the Stability Pact organises an extended Task Force meeting on ”Priorities, Funding and Partnerships in South Eastern Europe”, which will take place on March 9 and 10 in Graz, Austria.The recent crises in Kosovo and its aftermath has once again highlighted the need for the international community to put a greater focus of interest on South Eastern Europe and pro-actively promote peace, stability and economic development in this region. Education plays a crucial and fundamental part in this process.The meeting in Graz will provide the opportunity to meet for a cross-section of individuals active in education and youth in the region, both from South Eastern Europe and from the numerous international agencies who support their efforts. The purpose of this meeting is to share information on the latest developments in the Stability Pact effort in education and youth, the priorities and needs assessments, and project proposals that have been articulated to date, and to facilitate funding commitments and inter-institutional partnerships.New approaches are needed to meet the great diversity of funding requirements in education and youth, from small scale funding for grass roots initiatives to larger, longer term support for regional programs for systemic change.The program would include focused discussions on each of the working group areas of the Enhanced Graz Process, as well as special sessions on the situation of education and youth in Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia. We are delighted that Mr George Soros has agreed to address this meeting. We also expect senior level participation from the major agencies active in the region (World Bank, EU, Council of Europe) as well as key actors in education from across the region.
The Graz Process has been active since 1998, involving a wide network of experts, agencies and government representatives in a consultative process for the promotion of innovation, regional networks and co-operation in education. The process has resulted in action plans and co-operative working groups in the following areas: General Education System and Policy Improvement, Vocational Education and Training, Higher Education, Young People, History and History Teaching, Education for Democratic CitizenshipThe Enhanced Graz Process involves the following agencies and countries: Council of Europe, European Commission, European Training Foundation, OSCE, Open Society Institute, Royaumont Process, UNESCO, UNICEF, USAID, World Bank, Albania, Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Bulgaria, Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, France, Greece , Hungary,Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Turkey. The process is also strongly supported by the United States, represented in the Task Force by Ms Rosemary DiCarlo, State Department. The Enhanced Graz Process has been funded by the Austrian Ministries of Education and Cultural Affairs and Science and Transport. In October 1999, the Stability Pact decided that the Graz Process should be enhanced formally to lead the effort in education under the Stability Pact.