With just over one month to go until the start of the Fifth Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF5), the overall programme is taking shape and looking very exciting indeed. Online registration and payment, links to accommodation, abstracts, papers and discussions are all available at www.col.org/pcf5 (www.pcf5.london.ac.uk) as is the latest PCF5 newsletter at www.pcf5.london.ac.uk/aboutpcf5/newsletter.asp . The PCF5 team is also available to assist with any queries you may have in relation to your attendance and participation: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

More than 600 people representing educational institutions, governments, NGOs and development agencies will attend PCF5 from 13-17 July in London. There will also be more than 300 contributions at the Forum, offering a mix of different activities: interactive workshops, panel discussions, paper presentations, demonstrations as well as formal lectures. All of the four sub-themes - Livelihoods; Governance, Conflict and Social Justice; Health; and Children and Young People -- will be covered from various angles, and several sessions will address cross-cutting issues connected to the Forum's overall theme, "Access to Learning to Development".

Keynote speakers include:

• Mr. Kamalesh Sharma, Commonwealth Secretary-General and former High Commissioner for India to the United Kingdom
• Mr. Nicholas Burnett, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education
• Rt. Hon. Professor Apolo R. Nsibambi, Prime Minister of Uganda and former Minister of Education, Chancellor of Makerere University and Director of Makerere's Institute of Social Research
• Professor Brenda Gourley, Vice-Chancellor, U.K. Open University and Chair of the Association of Commonwealth Universities
• Reverend Professor Barney Pityana, Vice-Chancellor, UNISA
• Ms. Carol Bellamy, President and CEO of World Learning, former Peace Corps Director and UNICEF Executive Director
• Mr. Zamal Udinn Biswas, Grameen Bank, Bangladesh
• Professor Lídia Brito, Assistant Professor of Wood Science and Technology, Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Mozambique and former Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology, Mozambique
• Dr. Astrid Dufborg, GeSCI (global e-schools and communities initiative)
• Sir John Daniel, President and C.E.O., Commonwealth of Learning
  

COL's Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning has grown to become one of the world's leading conferences on learning and global development. The Forum will explore how open and distance learning can help achieve international development goals and education for all. It will be of interest to practitioners, researchers, planners and policy makers who work in education and/or development. The conference will provide opportunities to share experience and expertise and contribute to future thinking about access to learning.

PCF5 is hosted by COL in partnership with the University of London, forming a part of the University's celebration of the 150th anniversary of the establishment of its External Degrees initiative. Support for delegate participation from developing countries has been provided by COL, the U.K. Open University, the University of London External Programme, the U.K. Department for International Development (DFID) and others. Conference Co-Chairs are Sir Graeme Davies, Vice-Chancellor of the University of London, and Sir John Daniel, President and C.E.O. of COL.

We look forward to seeing you in July.

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