UNESCO and StratREAL Foundation

Partnership agreement in the area of entrepreneurship education

On Friday 12 December 2008, the Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, signed a partnership agreement with Mr Pierre N. Rolin, Chairman and Chief Executive Office of the StratREAL Foundation to cooperate in the field of Entrepreneurship Education in the Arab States Region.

The StratREAL Foundation works to improve the lives of young people around the world. Since its inception in 2003, the Foundation has focused on investing in the welfare of children and young people, particularly in education, health and housing.

UNESCO-UNEVOC, which has longstanding experience in vocational and entrepreneurship training, will lead the project for UNESCO with the backing of the UNESCO Beirut office and UNESCO headquarters.

The Director-General underscored that the interest of the StratREAL Foundation in corporate social responsibility and its commitment to educating children and young people made it a logical partner for UNESCO in the area of entrepreneurship education. He noted that this was the first time UNESCO signed a partnership agreement covering this topic.

“The project represents a significant and sustainable contribution to skills development for youth across the Arab States region. By assessing existing initiatives and providing policy advice to governments, the partnership will enable education authorities, over time, to offer young people opportunities for comprehensive, high quality, relevant educational opportunities for employability and citizenship,” explained Mr Matsuura.

The Director-General concluded by noting that “the project represents a significant and sustainable contribution to skills development for youth across the Arab States region, and that UNESCO was determined to make the cooperation a success.”