Washington, D.C. - Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) and Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY18) announced, today, the introduction of legislation that would focus U.S. attention on the need to provide all children around the world with a quality basic education.  The Education for All Act of 2004 would do this by concentrating on policy, leadership and resources, three areas in which U.S. action has long been lacking.

Senator Clinton believes that making universal basic education a major goal of U.S. foreign policy, the world and the nation will be safer.  "By committing the United States to an initiative that will provide hope to many around the world we will ensure that people will turn against the hate preached by our enemies," Senator Clinton said.

"This isn't just about education - although that is important - this initiative focuses our attention on a glaring global problem.  Today, too many children are either not being educated or are being educated to hate," said Congresswoman Lowey.  "This is a part of our broader war on terror - by helping these children get a quality education we are promoting stability and prosperity in the future."

In its report, the 9/11 Commission has validated this position by making education in the Muslim world a key part of our long term strategy to combat terrorism.  The 9/11 report emphasized that the education system in the Middle East contributed significantly to 9/11.

"We know that we must fight those who attempt to destroy our way of life, but that is only a part of our on-going battle against terrorism.  We must also reach out to those with limited opportunities and show them that our nation stands for compassion as well as strength," said Lowey.  "This legislation will provide a framework to comprehensively provide basic education for all children."

Under this legislation, the United States would provide up to $2.5 billion by 2009, tied to strong standards of accountability and performance, to aid developing countries in establishing universal education systems.  The legislation calls on the United States to coordinate the efforts of various federal agencies and work with other donor nations and NGO's to provide incentives and assistance to these countries. The goal is to establish universal basic education by 2015.

"If we are serious about preventing violence and promoting development and opportunity for all children, we need to commit the financial resources necessary to achieve universal education by 2015 in all poor countries," Senator Clinton said.

Details of the Legislative Proposal

* FIRST EDUCATION FOR ALL LEGISLATION:  Amends the U.S. Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to establish universal education in developing countries as a major priority of U.S. efforts to combat global terrorism. 

* $2.5 BILLION BY 2009 TO FUND UNIVERSAL EDUCATION: Includes a bold new commitment of resources tied to strong standards of accountability and performance. It authorizes $500 million in 2005, increasing to $2.5 billion by 2009. 

* CONTINGENT FUNDS FLOW ONLY TO COUNTRIES WITH STRONG EDUCATION PLANS: Funding will be contingent on countries developing strong national plans to get all children in school that include clear performance targets, systems of monitoring and accountability, and a commitment of their own financial resources.  This mechanism will inspire countries to reform while ensuring that taxpayer dollars only go to countries where we're confident it will reach children in need.

* A GLOBAL STRATEGY TO ACHIEVE EDUCATION FOR ALL (EFA) BY 2015:  Establishes process for developing a comprehensive global strategy that strengthens and builds upon the Education For All Fast Track Initiative, an initiative developed in April 2002 that creates a set of benchmarks to monitor the efficiency and quality of national primary education plans, and presents a clear plan for how U.S. efforts will complement those of other donors to reduce duplication and waste.  The strategy should leverage the strengths and contributions of private voluntary organizations that can play a critical role in helping countries reach these most vulnerable children.

* NEW HIGH-LEVEL EDUCATION FOR ALL INTERAGENCY TASKFORCE:  Creates a new interagency task force, with representatives from all U.S. Government agencies involved in international education issues.  Without creating a new bureaucracy, they will coordinate efforts to move the U.S. beyond piecemeal approaches and toward comprehensive plans to get all kids in school.