Establishment of SEA CLLSD in the Philippines as a Category 2 Centre Under the auspices of UNESCO

Sponsorship Speech
Establishment of SEA CLLSD in the Philippines as a Category 2 Centre Under the auspices of UNESCO
December 04, 2012

Mr. President,

I have the honor to seek approval of Senate Resolution No. 898, under Committee Report No. 482, titled “Resolution Concurring in the Ratification of the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) concerning the Establishment of a South-East Asian Center for Lifelong Learning for Sustainable Development (SEA CLLSD) in the Republic of the Philippines as a Category 2 Centre under the auspices of UNESCO”.[1]

Situationer
At present, there are eighty-two (82) UNESCO Category 2 Centres worldwide, hosted by 58 Member States, out of UNESCO’s total membership of 193 countries. Of the 82 Category 2 Centres, eight (8) cater to the needs of the education sector. Four (4) of these are located in the Asia-Pacific, namely: the International Research and Training Centre for Rural Education (INRULED) in Beijing, China; the Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding (APCEIU) in Seoul, Korea; the Southeast Asia Centre for Lifelong Learning for Sustainable Development (SEA CLLSD) in Manila, Philippines; and the South Asian Centre for Teacher Development in Meepe, Sri Lanka.

It is important to note that the UNESCO Category 2 Centre in the Philippines is the only facility in the Southeast Asian region to focus on lifelong learning for sustainable development. Broadly defined in UNESCO parlance, lifelong learning encompasses formal, non-formal, and informal modes of providing education to learners, with the end view of empowering people of all ages to become responsible for their surroundings and for them to strive for a sustainable environment.
Objectives

The establishment of the SEA CLLSD seeks to develop and provide appropriate learning programs, which aim to benefit the marginalized, the disadvantaged, and the underserved members of the population, including our indigenous peoples, our out-of-school youth and our non-literate adults, as it envisions to create an educational framework that works for sustainable development.

In brief, the SEA-CLLSD will:
1) develop and conduct high-level training and capacity-building programs for lifelong learning mentors, teachers and service-providers; [2]
2) pursue research, develop appropriate lifelong learning for sustainability materials, and improve the quality of its programs; and [3]
3) engage in advocacy and networking to raise public awareness and appreciation of lifelong learning possibilities for sustainable development across all ages and in a variety of settings and places.[4]
The Centre is intended to serve the Southeast Asian sub-region. It provides the Philippines the opportunity for technical exchanges, collaboration and cooperation with our immediate neighbors in the area of lifelong education for sustainability. We are able to share, compare, and learn from one another’s practices and experiences. Through this, we can expect to continuously renew, improve and innovate on our learning and education systems to serve the higher goals of social development and sustainability.
Conclusion

It is on this note that I ask for this Chamber’s concurrence with the ratification of this Agreement, so that we may prove to the world that the Philippines has the capability to become an educational hub for lifelong learning for sustainable development in Southeast Asia.

[1] Complete title of the Agreement is Agreement between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the United Nations Educational, Scietific and Cultural Organization Concerning the Establishment of a South-East Asian Center for Lifelong Learning for Sustainable Development in the Republic of the Philippines as a Category 2 Centre Under the Auspices of the UNESCO.