© UNESCO
It is with much regret that we learn that Pierre Foulani, former vice-president and member of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) Governing Board (1989–1996) died on 10 March. An eminent scholar and renowned author of an impressively diverse range of publications, his advice was especially valuable on issues related to poverty alleviation, the relation between education and development, and literacy as an indispensable component of education for all.
Astonishingly early, he engaged in the promotion of renewable energies and foresaw the devastating consequences of the overuse of natural resources. Together with Dr Adoum Ngaba-Waye, researcher at the UNESCO Institute for Education UIE (the predecessor of UIL), he founded CREFELD (Centre Régional d’Education et de Formation Environnementales pour Lutter contre la Désertification dans le bassin tchadien), one of the first institutions for environmental education for adults in Africa. For several years, he chaired its Governing Board and accompanied, in this function, the training of the first cohorts of environmental educators, with support of UIE and the Hamburg Authority for the Environment (Umweltbehörde). We are sad to lose his sharp political mind and eloquent educational voice. We will remember him as an effective ally in the movement towards lifelong learning for all, and, thus, as a true friend of UNESCO and UIL.
