Working Group on Early Childhood Development

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The 2nd International Conference on Early Child Development (ECD) was held in Asmara, October 28 to October 31, 2002 in the Hotel Intercontinental. It followed the First International Conference on ECD that was held in Kampala, Uganda in 1999. The Asmara Conference was organized by The State of Eritrea in collaboration with the World Bank, UNICEF and the ADEA Working Group on Early Childhood Development.

The central theme of the Conference was "Early Child Interventions: What Works and Experiences Learned". Issues related to policy development, integrated ECD planning, effective community approaches and practices, disadvantaged children and indigenous knowledge and child upbringing were discussed. At the end of the conference participants reached consensus on basic recommendations and a framework that could be used as a reference for action, collaboration, networking and future follow-up until the 3rd International ECD Conference. ADEA's Working Group on Early Childhood Development was mandated to follow-up on the Asmara recommendations to further the ECD agenda in Africa.

For more information on the conference, download the conference documents including the Asmara Declaration on Early Childhood Development, the conference overview and the synthesis statements. Click here to download the document.

Honorable Mrs. Anne Therese Ndong-Jatta, Secretary of State for Education of the Gambia wrote a poem at the end of the conference on the crucial importance of Early Childhood Development. Click here to download the poem.

 

How to contact the Working Group

Ms. Jeannette Vogelaar (Leader)
Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs
DCO/OO/BE - Bezuidenhoutseweg 67
P.O. Box 20061 - 2500 EB The Hague
THE NETHERLANDS
Tel: +31 70348 6712 - Fax: +31 70348 6436
E-mail: jeannette.vogelaar@minbuza.nl