Quality, inclusion, financing and governance in education are some of the major themes UNESCO will address in 2008. Among key UNESCO events to advance Education for All (EFA) are two regional literacy conferences, the International Conference on Education, the EFA Working Group and High Level Group meetings and the launch of the 2009 EFA Global Monitoring Report.

UNESCO’s Education Portal will provide full coverage of key education issues in 2008, including the selected events below:

The Seventh Ministerial Review Meeting of the Nine High-Population Countries (10-12 March, Bali, Indonesia) will focus on the improvement of teacher education and training as a focus of educational system reform.

Two UNESCO Regional Conferences in Support of Global Literacy will address literacy challenges in Latin America and the Caribbean and Eastern, Central Europe and the Caucasus, concluding this major global drive to promote literacy.

Inclusion will be the theme of the International Conference on Education (ICE) from 24-29 November 2008 in Geneva, Switzerland.

2008 will end with the established sequence of three key education events: the EFA Working Group meeting, the EFA High Level Group meeting and the launch of the 2009 EFA Global Monitoring Report on financing and governance in education.

"UNESCO will also mobilize education ministers and stakeholders worldwide for Global Action Week from 21-27 April 2008. "Quality Education to End Exclusion" is the theme of this annual campaign in favour of EFA."

2008 is the International Year of Languages and will focus on linguistic diversity and multilingual education. 2008 is also the International Year of Planet Earth. Finally, key International Days in 2008 with an educational focus include International Mother Language Day (21 February); International Literacy Day (8 September); World Teachers’ Day (5 October) and World AIDS Day (1 December).