The International Conference on Education (ICE) is a major international forum for educational policy dialogue among Ministers of Education and other stakeholders (researchers, practitioners, representatives of intergovernmental organizations and NGOs). The ICE is organized by the International Bureau of Education (IBE), the UNESCO institute specialized in assisting Member States in curriculum development to achieve quality Education For All. The IBE Council, composed of 28 UNESCO Member States, has proposed in January 2007 that the 48th ICE session, to be held in Geneva in November 2008, should focus on the theme “Inclusive Education: the Way of the Future”. The 48th ICE will focus on broadening the understanding of the theory and practice of inclusive education while discussing how governments can develop and implement policies on inclusive education. The IBE is hosting a series of regional preparatory workshops dedicated to exploring and advancing inclusive education in preparation for the ICE 2008. The Regional Preparatory Workshop "International Workshop on Inclusive Education, Andean and Southern Cone Regions” was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina on the 11-14 September 2007. This event was organized by the International Bureau of Education (IBE/UNESCO), the Division for the Promotion of Basic Education (ED/BAS, UNESCO Paris), the Regional Bureau of Education for Latin America and the Caribbean (OREALC/UNESCO); University of de San Andrés, Ministry of Science, Technology and Education, in collaboration with the Community of Practice - Southern Cone and Andean Regions; it had the participation of ten countries from the Southern Cone and Andean Regions. This report is based on the workshop’s country reports and presentations on the conception and status of inclusive education in participating countries, and on the ideas proposed by participants on what the next steps should be on how to advance inclusive education policy and implementation in the region.
