Fifth International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA), Hamburg, Germany, 1997

Overview

A year ago, UNESCO organised the Fifth International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA V), bringing together more than 1,500 participants from governments, NGOs, research, training and educational institutions, intergovernmental organisations, and foundations. Held every 12 years, this particular conference differed from the previous four, in that it had involved the broader adult education community, including NGOs and academic institutions, from the beginning. Moreover, compared to other UN conferences, CONFINTEA V was unique as it did not have a separate NGO Forum; instead,
NGO representatives attended the meeting as official participants. Assessing the gains for women’s education, it could be said that these two developments facilitated the visibility of women as educators, policymakers, and learners, and the highlighting of specific women’s issues in adult education.

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