NGO Jomtien Committee
9 March 1990

1. NGOs shall be part of all formal structures for the implementation of EFA at all levels: local, national, regional, and international, from the outset, particularly in the development and implementation of national plans, which NGOs feel is of paramount importance. In all cases the autonomy of NGOs shall be respected.

2. NGO members of such structures shall be in the same proportion as other sectoral representatives.

3. Explicit policies designed to provide political space for NGOs and concrete actions should be adopted by both governments and agencies.

4. NGOs shall choose their own representatives through a consultative and democratic process as appropriate.

5. NGOs will follow the guidelines listed below when selecting their representatives.

a. NGO representatives shall be chosen on the basis of involvement in and commitment to education for all.

b. Due consideration will be given to ethnic, geographic and sectoral representivity.

c. Consideration will be given to established UN mechanisms relative to NGO relations, but NGO selection will not be limited by any specialized agency's procedures nor any procedure established by non-NGO bodies.

d. Special preference shall be given to the involvement of indigenous NGOs from countries and regions where the challenges of basic education are most serious.

6. As a much needed example, the NGOs will make every effort to ensure balanced gender representation among NGO representatives at all levels, most especially at the international level.

7. Subsequent major international meetings and conferences relative to the education for all movement shall include NGOs as full delegates. The World Conference on Education for All: Meeting Basic Learning Needs established a welcome precedent by granting delegate status to NGO representatives.