۳rd Session of the FASPPED Executive Bureau(۱۸-۱۹ June ۲۰۱۱, Tehran, IR of Iran)

The 3rd Session of the FASPPED EB was held in Tehran on 18 June 2011, by the Islamic Parliament of Iran, in cooperation with the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO, the UNESCO Tehran Cluster Office and the Iranian Ministry of Education. This meeting was host to parliamentary members of countries members to the FASPPED EB (Republic of Korea, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Indonesia and observers from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Thailand and Romania), Secretaries General of the FASPPED Member States and representatives from the UNESCO Tehran Cluster Office, UNESCO Bangkok Office and the International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP).   
Objectives pursued by the 3rd Session of the FASPPED EB:
1. Exchange of views and global policy dialogue on emerging trends and challenges to accelerating achievement of EFA goals, the MDGs and other international commitments of relevance;
2. Proposing practical guidelines for the Second Forum of the Asia-Pacific parliamentarians for Education;
3. Reflecting on additional programmes and activities proposed by the IR of Iran and Members to the Executive Bureau of FASPPED (Indonesia, Bangladesh, Samoa, Republic of Korea, Vietnam);
4. Reinforcing ties and strengthening cooperation among members to the FASPPED Executive Bureau in all levels;
5. Sharing experiences and best practices on FASPPED activities in the Asia and the Pacific;
6. Decision-making about issues of high organisational concern.
In addition to the above, this meeting discussed the various challenges and achievements of Education for All in Asia and the Pacific, implementation of the Jakarta Action Plan, appropriation of funds, training activities for parliamentarians, etc.
19 June met the organisation, in Tehran, of a regional workshop on the “Role of Education in Meeting Challenges of the Contemporary World: Quality Education, a Key Instrument in the Recognition of Sustainable Development Goals,” back-to-back with the 3rd Session of the FASPPED EB, as a joint effort of the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO and the Commission for Education and Research of the Islamic Parliament of Iran.
The workshop objectives included:
1. Depicting the place and role of quality education in achieving the goals of EFA, ESD, and the MDGs;
2. Proposing guidelines for strengthening of the various aspects of quality education in the countries of the Asia and the Pacific region;
3. Helping to reinforce required mechanisms necessary for reducing the educational gap between countries of the Region from a qualitative point of view.
The workshop was host to members to the FASPPED Executive Bureau and parliamentarians, participating in the 3rd Session of the FASPPED EB, UNESCO experts and representatives, officials from relevant national research organisations, universities, researchers and the civil society, who discussed the various dimensions and aspects of quality education and the role of parliaments in policy-making, budget appropriation for quality education and…
The Forum for the Asia-Pacific Parliamentarians in Education (FASPPED), is a forum established by UNESCO to promote, in the Region, the goals of the EFA programme and the MDGs. The Forum, whose permanent secretariat is in UNESCO, seeks to pursue internationally agreed upon goals in education, in cooperation with its Member States. Thus, calling for the galvanisation of strong regional and political support and the mainstreaming of efforts by all beneficiaries in education, development partners, governments, NGOs, the civil society and international agencies in order to compel and encourage governments to use all available international instruments and resources, to achieve the above mentioned goals.     
It is mention worthy that in the 1st Session of the FASPPED General Assembly (7-8 July 2010, Jakarta, Indonesia), the Islamic Republic of Iran was elected as president of the 2nd FASPPED General Assembly.