The Programme ‘Improvement of potable water provision’ implemented by Umid HSSC has been selected to be presented at the panel 2 on Literacy and Health during the UNESCO Regional Literacy Conference held in Baku, Azerbaijan on 14 – 16 May 2008.

The Programme "Improvement of potable water provision" is implementing by the support of BP and its Partners along the BTC/SCP communities since 2005.

The Conference was organized in Azerbaijan in Baku, Azerbaijan, under the auspices of Mrs Mehriban Aliyeva, First Lady of Azerbaijan, Goodwill Ambassador of UNESCO and ISESKO, President of Haydar Aliyev Fund, as well as the Deputy of Milli Mejlis.The organizes of the Conference were UNESCO, Haydar Aliyev Fund and Ministry of Education of the republic. 

Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, Prencess of Holland, Ms Laurentien, Goodwill Ambassadors of UNESCO - Ms. Ferial - the Prencess of Jordan, and ex-rpesident of Islandia Ms. Viqdos Finboqadottir, as well as Ministers of Education and experts from most countries, high-ranking officials from the Government of Azerbaijan, ambassadors of foreign countries in Baku participated the conference.

The UNESCO Sub-Regional Conference in Support of Global Literacy entitled «Addressing Literacy Challenges in Europe with a sub-regional focus: Building Partnerships and Promoting Innovative Approaches» forms part of a series of six regional or sub-regional conferences supporting global literacy that are being organized by UNESCO within the framework of the United Nations Literacy Decade (UNLD) and UNESCO's Literacy Initiative for Empowerment (LIFE).

The conferences are part of a major drive to promote literacy at national, regional and international levels as one of the major Education for All goals and as a foundation of lifelong learning.

UNESCO is now organizing the fifth conference in the series which will cover Europe with a sub-regional focus (Central, Eastern and South-East Europe and the Baltic States) and will target the following 30 countries: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Austria, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, and Ukraine.

The conference aims at:

  • undertaking strong advocacy for youth and adult literacy in the sub-region as part of the global literacy drive and the UNLD within the overall framework of EFA;
  • identifying and discussing the main challenges and achievements in youth and adult literacy and developing recommendations on the way forward;
  • building renewed commitment towards literacy at the highest political level, including increased investment and resources;
  • building a coalition and cooperation among all stakeholders, involving governments, NGOs, private providers, development agencies, universities, etc., in support of effective national literacy programmes and policies in the framework of UNLD and other global initiatives such as Education for All (EFA), the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD);
  • facilitating exchange and sharing of successful experiences and effective practices in the area of literacy, and access to the stock of knowledge and know-how;
  • creating a new momentum for UNLD in Europe and contributing to the preparation of the UNLD mid-decade review in 2008