President Jacob Zuma, Joins Heads of State, FIFA, Footballers and 2010 FIFA World Cup Fans in Supporting 1GOAL: Education for All

Leaders pledge to work for a breakthrough on global education funding
Johannesburg – Today, 2010 FIFA World Cup host President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, joined other heads of state to announce their support for 1GOAL: Education for All, a new campaign focused on ensuring that all children receive an education.

President Zuma signed up to 1GOAL in Johannesburg and was joined by satellite link with Queen Rania al Abdullah of Jordan, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in Australia, President Atta Mills in Ghana, Prime Minister Balkenende in the Netherlands, Prime Minister Zapatero in Spain, Prime Minister Gordon Brown of the United Kingdom, FIFA President Sepp Blatter and football players from around the world.

1GOAL has one purpose: to ensure that the 75 million children out of school around the world – half of them in Africa – get access to classrooms, teachers and the future that education provides. 1GOAL calls on football fans to sign their names at www.join1goal.org and tell world leaders that education beats poverty.

At today’s event, heads of state agreed to spend the next year working toward a breakthrough on global education funding and make education the legacy of the FIFA World Cup 2010 in Africa and poor regions around the world. They also agreed to meet on the eve of the FIFA World Cup 2010 in Africa for a summit on education.

“We believe that it is a disgrace that the fundamental right to education is still denied to millions,” said President Zuma.  “We are signing up to the 1GOAL Campaign today because we believe that it the responsibility of every government to make good their commitment to tackle this indefensible situation. We support the footballers and their fans in calling on all world leaders to do their part to ensure every child can go to school. We need to see action at the World Cup and beyond. By acting now, together can ensure Education for All,” announced President Jacob Zuma of South Africa.

Speaking ahead of the launch, Sepp Blatter said: “It is an immense honour for FIFA to gather around football’s force for change, so many political leaders of today’s world and so many football legends, all motivated by solidarity and a strong desire for action! The FIFA World Cup 2010, the first one to be held on the African continent, represents an unique opportunity to mobilize energies around the globe to provide education and thus a better future for every child of our planet. The 1Goal education campaign should become the rallying point of concrete commitments by governments, investors and individuals to be true to our values of universality and to the values of football, an amazing school of life, with 2015 as the target date of this historic campaign!”

“There are 40 million more children, most of them in Africa, in school today because governments took action nine years ago. The World Cup is in South Africa next year, so it’s a good time to re-double our efforts and take another shot at getting the rest of these kids into classrooms. Let’s make the goal this time,” said Aaron Mokoena, player and captain of the South African team.

South Africa Players who signed up to 1GOAL: Education for All alongside President Zuma were Dr Khumalo, Mark Fish, Matthew Booth, Phil Masinga, Sean Bartlett, Dikgang Mabalene, Desiree Ellis and Mark Haskins.
Players from all over the world are joining the effort including Rio Ferdinand, Thierry Henry, Robinho, Michael Essien, Aaron Mokoena , Kanu, Nicolas Anelka, Michel Silvestre, David James, Kolo Toure, Javier Zanetti, Ivan Cordoba, Michael Owen and Mia Hamm. Retired champions also joining 1GOAL include Marcel Desailly, George Weah and Roger Milla. Today’s satellite broadcast was hosted by England football legend Gary Lineker.
In addition to FIFA’s support, actors Jessica Alba, Kevin Spacey and Clive Owen, singers Bono and Kelly Rowland and organizations Global Campaign for Education, Comic Relief and advocacy group ONE have promised their commitment.
For more information and to pledge support to 1GOAL: Education for All, log onto www.join1goal.org and sign your name for those who can’t.
-ENDS-
Notes to Editors
1 - For further information, interview requests and photography from 1 GOAL: Education for All, please contact:
Alex de Coning on alex@bairds.co.za or +27 11 504 400 or +27 83 272 6384
Alex Kent on alex@campaignforeducation.org or +27 76 428 5390

2 – Leaders in various countries will be linked up via satellite at 15.00 – 16.00 South Africa Time

How to watch the event and download broadcast footage:
Online:  Anyone can view the live webcast of the event at www.join1goal.org    

Broadcast-standard video and photos:
Visit www.thenewsmarket.com/join1goal

If you are a first-time user, please take a moment to register. In case you have any questions, please email journalisthelp@thenewsmarket.com

3 – Players from all over the world are joining the effort including Rio Ferdinand, Thierry Henry, Robinho, Michael Essien, Aaron Mokoena (captain of the South Africa team), Kanu (captain of the Nigerian team), Nicolas Anelka, Michel Silvestre, David James, Kolo Toure, Javier Zanetti, Ivan Cordoba, Michael Owen and Mia Hamm (captain of the 1999 American women’s World Cup champion team). Retired champions also joining 1GOAL include Marcel Desailly, George Weah and Roger Milla. Today’s satellite broadcast was hosted by England football legend Gary Lineker.
In addition to FIFA’s support, actors Jessica Alba, Kevin Spacey and Clive Owen, singers Bono and Kelly Rowland and organizations Global Campaign for Education, Comic Relief and advocacy group One have promised their commitment.

4 – The 1GOAL campaign will push education towards the top of the agenda at major international meetings between now and the Millennium Development Goal Summit in September 2010. EU, G8 and G20 meetings will take place during the World Cup itself.  The campaign aims to generate commitments to increase funding for education, greater investment in teachers and target ways to spread education programmes in hard-to-reach communities.  It will use the 2010 FIFA World Cup to get the message across to football fans and others of the importance of sending children to school.

5 – Giving children an education has been shown to help a country reach its full potential. Studies have shown getting girls into school is the one of the best investments a country can make. A girl who has been educated is 50% more likely to have her child immunised, and her children are more than twice as likely to live until the age of five.

6 – The 1GOAL campaign builds on the work of the Class of 2015, which was launched at the United Nations in September 2007 with the aim of getting all children an education by 2015.

The Class of 2015 is comprised of the Global Campaign for Education, charities, governments, and national and international organisations which support free primary schooling for everyone.

7 – The 1GOAL campaign is backed by the Global Campaign for Education (GCE), the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), governments across the world, charities and international organisations.

8 – Join 1GOAL at www.join1goal.org or follow at www.twitter.com/join1goal.