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"From 16 - 20 September, 2013, ADEA participated in the annual Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariat Senior Officials and Education Ministers meeting held in Maputo, Mozambique. Ms. Angela Arnott, team leader from the ADEA Working Group on Education Management and Policy Support (WG EMPS) represented ADEA at the meeting. In addition to senior officials from SADC countries, there were also participants from the International Labour Organization (ILO), the African Union (AU), and UNESCO."

Parliamentarians from Southern Africa are meeting this week (11-12 August) to debate how foreign agricultural investment can bring benefits to local people, in the context of the 'land rush'. Land rights, food security and jobs are among the themes discussed at the Pan-African Parliament/SADC Parliamentary Forum event. This is the last in the current series of regional meetings on the topic. For more information, see the event page: Making Agricultural Investment Work for Africa: A parliamentarian response to the land rush

The expert meeting discussed the regional and international trends of TVET provision at the secondary level and provided the opportunity to exchange policies, practices and lessons learned from a number of countries with experience in this area.

"Tambacounda, 13 jan (APS) - La région de Tambacounda (Est) envisage de soumettre au président Macky Sall un projet agricole en vue de son financement estimé à 40 milliards de francs CFA, a annoncé la section régionale de l'Alliance pour la République (APR, majorité), lors d'un meeting tenu samedi. ''La région de Tambacounda prépare un projet agricole d'un coût de 40 milliards de francs CFA à soumettre au gouvernement lorsqu'il fera le déplacement pour un conseil interministériel'' décentralisé, a dit Malal Camara lors d'un meeting de la section régionale du parti présidentiel. "

As a pre-meeting activity to the 7th GFRAS Annual Meeting an e-discussion takes place from 23 August to 2 September to prepare the topic of "The Role of Rural Advisory Services (RAS) for Inclusive Agripreneurship". Stephen C. Mukembo gave us a first definition of agripreneurship: "the application of entrepreneurial principles to identify, develop, and manage viable agricultural enterprises/projects optimally and sustainably for profit and improved livelihoods". How is this different from agribusiness start-ups mentioned by Sivakumar P S? Who are these famous agripreneurs? Farmers? Young business men exploring opportunities in agriculture? Women who venture into off-farm activities? And: Aren't all farmers agripreneurs?

"To strengthen global and regional harmonization for the advancement of TVET transformation through the capacities of UNEVOC's unique global Network of specialized TVET institutions and affiliated partners, the UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre is organizing a series of meetings to be held in all regions of the world. The meetings are organized following the recommendations outlined in the Shanghai Consensus, in which the role of the UNEVOC Network is highlighted as playing a key role in developing the capacities of decision-makers and practitioners, and facilitate the involvement of all stakeholders in TVET transformation and development across the globe."

"The Farmers' Forum, born in 2005, is an on-going, bottom-up process of consultation and dialogue among small farmers' and rural producers' organizations (FOs), IFAD, and governments, focused on rural development and poverty reduction. Engagement with rural organizations at field level, and dialogue at regional and international levels, are articulated as mutually reinforcing processes. Fully aligned with IFAD's strategic objectives, and rooted in concrete partnership and collaboration at national and regional levels, the Forum meets every two years for global consultation, in conjunction with IFAD's Governing Council. The forthcoming global meeting of the Farmers' Forum will be held between 17 and 20 February 2014. "

"For the first time since the beginning of the programme in June 2012, all participants and coordinators (coming from the three participating countries and the six partners' institutions) will gather together for a regional workshop in Hong Kong, organized by the Faculty of Education of the University of Hong Kong (HKU). In addition to the provision of courses on the use of projections and scenarios in the preparation of education sector development plans and the opportunity to discuss and consolidate their draft country plan documents (that they are required to submit at the end of the distance programme), this will be a wonderful occasion for participants and partner institutions to exchange and share their country experiences. Participants are eager to meet each other. As Mrs. Nguyen Lan Huong, from Viet Nam, said in a recent interview: "We also look forward to the one-week study visit to the Hong Kong Institute of Education, where we will have a chance to see in person other participants and actually activate our professional network for the long-term benefit" .(Click here to read)"

"The first preparatory meeting will be held at the Committee of the Regions on 2 February 2015. Agenda and details will be available early next year. For more information, please contact community@eudevdays.eu."

"The EU-funded project JOLISAA coordinated by CIRAD, France; the Prolinnova international network hosted by ETC Foundation, Netherlands; the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS); the AusAID-funded project Food System Innovation for Food Security (FSIFS) and other partners are to meet in May 2013to jointly discuss approaches to enhance knowledge-to-action linkages among actors in agricultural innovation systems in Africa. During WAIA, a workshop on Agricultural Innovation Systems in Africa (AISA) will take place, preceded by an Eastern Africa Farmer Innovation Fair to showcase the achievements of individual and groups of smallholder farmers in improving their farming and their livelihoods. "

"Call for Papers The JVET Conference Committee are pleased to be able to invite contributions to the highly successful biennial JVET conference. This meeting has been providing a lively and stimulating forum for debates concerning all aspects of work and learning since 1995. Contributions are welcome in the following areas of vocational and professional education and training, and contributions to any area of debate in VET will be considered: Globalization and skills Vocational Education in times of crisis Access to VET for minoritised groups VET policy The changing institutional context of VET Curriculum and assessment in VET The student experience of VET Work-related Learning 200 word abstracts of papers should be submitted by January 31 2013. Acceptance will be notified by 28 February 2013. Email your abstract to Pete Sanderson at p.j.sanderson@hud.ac.uk Enquiries about the Conference can be addressed to Bill Bailey at b.bailey@gre.ac.uk"

"The report provides an assessment of prospects for the coming decade of national, regional and global agricultural commodity markets. It predicts that expansion of agricultural production is likely to slow at least in the medium term with limited slower area expansion and slower productivity growth, but supply should keep pace with demand such that prices are expected to remain relatively high. In this context, it is anticipated that measures to reduce food loss and waste will be important in meeting rising demand and for increasing productivity. Agricultural trade is expected to increase and developing countries could benefit."

"The 2016 annual meeting of the European Forum on Agricultural Research for Development (EFARD), organised in collaboration with the Platform for African-European partnership on Agricultural Research for Development (PAEPARD), brought together research and non-research professionals from Western, Central/Eastern Europe and Africa, to debate on the future of Users'-led research and innovation partnerships (MSHIP)."

"Amid a future of growing populations, economies, and changing diets, questions arise as to how current practices can meet future food demands. Aquaculture, also known as fish farming, may be key: It is expected that as much as two-thirds of all fish consumed will come from aquaculture by 2030."

"Ten years ago, the UNESCO International Meeting on Innovation and Excellence in TVET Teacher/Trainer Education held in Hangzhou, China, asked for developing TVET into an internationally acknowledged scientific community in order to professionalize TVET teacher/trainer education and to integrate TVET as sustainable, reproductive and innovative national scientific systems into national systems of innovation. The First World Congress on Teacher Education for Technical and Vocational Education and Training held in 2008 in Bandung, Indonesia reaffirmed this request by demanding that TVET teacher/trainer education should encompass "studies in the analysis, design and evaluation of: (a) vocational learning, educational and qualification processes, (b) occupational work and business processes, and (c) technology as an object of work and learning processes (d) as well as critical pedagogy for social change," and by asking for establishing respective "frameworks for promoting the continuing professional development of TVET practitioners." T"

"On 10 July 2013, Mr Shyamal Majumdar, Head of Office of UNESCO-UNEVOC, has attended the iMove Network India in Dresden, Germany. Organized in cooperation with the Federation of Indian Commerce and Industry and the National Skill Development Corporation the event aimed at promoting the German-India collaboration in TVET. Mr Shyamal Majumdar delivered a keynote speech, in which he outlined Technical Vocational Education and Training from the international perspective and highlighted the importance of TVET in present times. Mr Majumdar urged for TVET to be transformed first and then scaled up in order to meet global demand. Furthermore, Mr Majumdar shared the key messages of the UNESCO Global Monitoring Report on Youth and Skills, and the role of the UNEVOC Network in transforming TVET, addressing key challenges of quality, capacity and public-private partnership (PPP)."

"PCF7 at a Glance: Commonwealth Of Learning's (COL) Seventh Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF7) will be held in Abuja, Nigeria from 2 - 6 December 2013, in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN). The Forum will address "Open Learning for Development: Towards Empowerment and Transformation" through five themes: "Girls' and Women's Education", "Skills Development", "Promoting Open Educational Resources (OER)", "Innovation and Technology" and "Institutional Development". We look forward to meeting you in this forum and working together constructively on the various ideas and concepts that emerged. "

"Près de 50 universitaires, experts politiques, gestionnaires et représentants d'agences d'aide au développement se sont rassemblés à Marseille les 1er et 2 juillet 2013 pour une réunion dans le cadre du programme IHERD (Innovation, enseignement supérieur et recherche pour le développement) de l'OCDE, financé par l'agence suédoise de coopération internationale pour le développement (SIDA). Cette réunion a eu pour thème « Améliorer les approches fondées sur des données factuelles pour faciliter la conception et la mise en œuvre de politiques d'innovation et de recherche dans les pays en développement ». Parmi les thèmes abordés figuraient notamment : l'établissement de liens entre ces trois piliers, l'importance du travail en réseau, le rôle des universités de recherche, la collaboration Sud- Sud, les financements concurrentiels, les capacités et les stratégies de recherche dans les pays en développement, et le mandat des centres d'excellence. Le programme IHERD s'articule autour de deux communautés de recherche : les études sur l'enseignement supérieur et les politiques de recherche (ou scientifiques). Des synergies entre les deux ont été recommandées, à la fois en termes de mécanismes de financement transnationaux et de coordination des capacités et des communautés de recherche. http://www.universityworldnews.com/specialreports/index.php?action=view&report=35 http://www.oecd.org/sti/iherd-marseille-expert-meeting.htm (University World News, 19/08/2013)"

"Experience from outside UNESCO-UNEVOC Regional Forum Europe and North America network enriches work of penultimate meeting ahead of next year's global forum in Bonn. The second session Tuesday (29 October) of the UNESCO-UNEVOC regional forum Europe, Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and North America on advancing, improving and greening TVET hosted by Moscow's National Observatory on Vocational Education/Centre for VET Studies, widened its scope to a broad international focus. The three-day event, attended by over 100 experts in training, system analysis and policy advice, opened Monday with the spotlight on two of UNEVOC's priorities - youth employment and skills development and bringing an ecological perspective to TVET. Tuesday's theme was regional and international harmonization in TVET. Delegates looked well beyond the regional boundaries of Europe, CIS and North America, which is one of the five regional clusters around which UNEVOC organizes its global work. Representatives of the Africa, Arab States, Asia and Pacific, and Latin America and Caribbean regions presented the progress in advancing UNESCO-UNEVOC's agenda, based on the Shanghai Consensus proposals identified last year at UNESCO's Third International Congress on TVET."

"The UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre in collaboration with the National Board for Technical Education, Centre of Excellence in TVET (NBTE), organized a Regional Forum on Advancing TVET for Youth Employability and Sustainable Development from 17 to 18 September 2013 in Abuja, Nigeria. The meeting was organized in the context of a series of forums that UNESCO-UNEVOC is organizing as a response to the Shanghai Consensus recommendations and the outcomes of the UNEVOC International Forum (November 2012). The two-day forum aimed at sharing and discussing Promising Practices in the areas of Greening TVET (GTVET) and Youth and Skills implemented by UNEVOC Centres and other institutions in the region, as well as strengthening cooperation between UNEVOC Centres in Africa and supporting the consolidation and expansion of the Network."