The Government of Finland and the Palestinian Authority concluded on 22 August 2005 the Agreement of the third Phase of the Palestinian- Finnish Education Programme (PALFEP III), with the value of 3,2 million euros. In addition 2,8 million euros are reserved to textbook printing in 2005-2009 making the total Finnish contribution to the Palestinian education sector 6,0 million eurous.The Agreement was signed by Mr. Heikki Hannikainen, Head of the Finnish Representative Office and Mr. Ghassan Khatib, Minister of Planning and Dr. Naim Abu El-Hummos, Minister of Education.

PALFEP III aims to support the improvement of quality in education through Human Resource Development. This is focused on capacity building of educational administrators and managers, assessment and evaluation, pedagogical use of ICT and project coordination.

PALFEP III will provide resources for capacity building in the form of long and short-term technical assistance, workshops, study trips and attendance at conferences for the years 2005-2009.

Your Excellency, ladies and gentlemen,

Our own experience in the 19th century showed beyond any doubt the essential importance of education for the success of the process of nation building. The roots of a basic general education in Finland go even further – admittedly not very far by your ancient standards, but all the same – to the Reformation in the 16th century and the requirement of universal literacy in Finland as a prerequisite for the Bible to be accessible to everyone, poor and rich, noble and peasant alike.

Returning to the present, achieving universal primary education is one of the Millennium Development Goals and one of the keys to poverty alleviation. Poverty alleviation is in fact one of the main goals of Finnish development policy. Social and gender equality as well as the respect for human rights and democracy are key elements that support endeavours to achieve this goal. The internationally recognized high level of education among the Palestinian people places you way ahead of so may others, but it has to be nurtured, and investment in education in the Palestine Territories has not only to be maintained but if possible developed further in an orderly and integrated fashion. Needless to say, education is also a basic human right and hence support to education in the Palestine Territories tends to enhance the rights of the Palestinian child.

The other day we discussed the future of our cooperation in the education sector with Palestinian officials here in Ramallah. Colleagues in Gaza participated by means of a video conference. Dr. Olli Ruohomäki, who as the Deputy Representative of Finland to the Palestinian Authority will be in operative charge of this programme as well as our other development cooperation programmes in the Palestinian Territories, made some opening remarks the main content of which I would like to share with you today.

Knowledge and education go hand in hand. A knowledge-based society is one where knowledge diffusion, production and application become the organizing principle in all aspects of human activity: culture, society, the economy, politics and private life. Knowledge nowadays can provide the means to expand the scope of human freedoms, enhance the capacity to guarantee those freedoms through good governance and achieve the higher moral human goals of justice and human dignity.

It is in this spirit that the Government of Finland has decided to support the Palestinian- Finnish Education Programme known as PALFEP III, which aims to support the improvement of quality in education through Human Resource Development. This is focused on capacity building of educational administrators and managers, assessment and evaluation, pedagogical use of ICT and project coordination.

PALFEP III will provide resources for capacity building in the form of long and short-term technical assistance, workshops, study trips and attendance at conferences for the years 2005-2009. PALFEP III will be driven by your needs, resources will be made available as your needs are identified.

PALFEP III builds on the long and fruitful partnership between the Government of Finland and the Palestinian Authorities in the education sector. I am also confident that from the Finnish side we have a top quality team of experts to assist and advise the implementation of the project with the Palestinian colleagues.

On behalf of the Finnish Government I wish all the success for PALFEP III and will look forward to continue our excellent cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Planning and other concerned agencies.

Thank you.