On 31 October 2012, the UNESCO International Research and Training Centre for Rural Education (INRULED), the UNESCO International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICBA) and Beijing Normal University (BNU) successfully co-organized the Roundtable Event on China-Africa Cooperation in Education at BNU in Beijing, China. In the meantime, the 14th Session of the Governing Board of IICBA was also held at BNU.

Senior officials from UNESCO, Chinese National Commission for UNESCO, INRULED, IICBA and BNU highly appreciated the convention of the event and encouraged the establishment of a new approach of cooperation to push forward the collaboration between China and Africa in Education. The participants shared a common wish that Africa and China could work hand in hand and create a brighter future and expected to continue the momentum of high-level visit and dialogue to enhance traditional friendship, promote exchange of views and close collaboration on major educational and regional issues, and share experience on research, capacity building and teacher development to pursue mutual benefits.

A new Memorandum of Understanding was also signed between INRULED and IICBA during the roundtable event, paving the way for the cooperation between the two parties in research, capacity building, consultancy, fundraising as well as joint publication and information sharing in programme areas coming as teacher education, ICT in education for rural development  as well as skills development and gender equality and women leadership.

Gender equality is an important issue for the effectiveness of development programmes, and both INRULED and IICBA have focused much attention on this issue. On 29 October, INRULED organized the China-Africa Dialogue on Gender Equality and Leadership in Education at BNU. The dialogue was highly participatory, with discussions on various aspects on gender issues that related to practices, women’s empowerment and role of school in gender equality in China and Africa.

Accompanied by INRULED staff, IICBA board members also visited several departments of BNU, whose programmes are closely linked with the strategic priorities of IICBA and INRULED.

Meanwhile, IICBA and INRULED paid a visit to the Department of Aid to Foreign Countries, Ministry of Commerce of China (MofCom) on 30 October 2012 for seeking support from MofCom to the cooperation between the two parties.