ED/2007/PI/H/1
January 2007
Original: English
Envisioning Partnerships for Education
Envisioning Partnerships
for Education
The World Economic Forum and UNESCO have created a new initiative entitled Partnerships for Education (PfE), which
will work collaboratively with other global initiatives to harness and help deliver effective private sector contributions to
the Education for All (EFA) goals. PfE provides mechanisms and advice about how to craft and sustain Multi-
Stakeholder Partnerships for Education (MSPEs).
Context
Partnerships for Education (PfE) has been shaped within the context of three important agendas:
• Partnerships: the concept of partnerships has become central to the rhetoric of development practice over the last
decade, but there remains much debate and uncertainty as to the optimal means through which the private sector
can most effectively contribute to development partnerships.
• EFA and the MDGs: The quantity and quality of education provision is of key importance to all global development
agendas, as reflected in the EFA goals, the education-related MDGs, and the EFA-Fast Track Initiative (FTI), yet
millions of young people across the world still remain without the opportunity to gain an appropriate education.
• The Global Education Initiative (GEI): The World Economic Forum is committed to ensuring that the valuable
experiences gained in delivering its GEI are shared and applied more effectively by governments that wish to
engage the private sector in the provision of appropriate educational initiatives
PfE’s niche position
PfE combines the strengths of UNESCO and the World Economic Forum, bringing together the lead global agency for
the delivery of the EFA goals with the leading independent international organization committed to improving the state of
the world by engaging leaders in partnerships to shape global, regional and industry agendas. PfE use