The first Executive Board meeting of the Education and Solidarity Network took place on 4 December 2009 in Brussels with the attendance of all 15 members. In particular, the meeting provided an opportunity to present progress made by the network in terms of projects and identifying funding. Future prospects were also considered as well as issues and goals for the General Meeting of 20 July 2011 in South Africa.

Among the projects presented at this Executive Board meeting, members were particularly interested in the ‘1 euro donation’ project. The aim of this pilot project on innovative fundraising is to support the implementation of social protection systems for teachers in a developing country through regular contributions from teachers in 'developed countries'. This will involve introducing cooperative arrangements whereby teachers in developed countries will contribute to the subscriptions of teachers in developing countries who are members of mutual societies. Viable mutual societies in developing countries to which the money will be sent will be identified prior to this.

Most progress has been made on the project in Burkina Faso. A project to introduce a mutual society for education professionals in keeping with the project to introduce compulsory universal health insurance (to which the government of Burkina Faso has made a commitment) is currently being implemented. Training sessions are scheduled in the country at the end of February.

An increasing number of contacts has been established in South America, notably with the ACYM (América Cooperativa y Mutual) network, AFECyM (Asociación Federal de Educadores en Cooperativismo y Mutualismo) and several universities. An e-Learning platform created in collaboration with the AFECyM in Argentina is available to the network. This is a site which will disseminate training module content. It has now been built, although work is still needed with regard to dissemination and administration.

Contact has also been made with a view to forging training partnerships with Argentinian universities and institutes.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) has become involved, highlighting the need for

the network to operate in an international context. There is strong international consensus on the necessity for a basic social protection floor, which has been mentioned at many international conferences. The social protection floor initiative will be implemented and coordinated by an international coalition of stakeholders including UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund), UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), the WHO (World Health Organization), the World Bank and many others.

All Executive Board members gave their approval for joining the Coalition and International Alliance whose common aim is to extend the cover of social protection and social security throughout the world for the benefit of as many individuals as possible.

The network now has the legal status of an AISBL (International Non-Profit-Making Association in Belgium). Education International has been hosting the network’s head office within its offices since 1 January 2010.

Subscription requests were issued to 60 organisations which had stated their intention to join after the inaugural conference of 14 and 15 May 2009. A new recruitment campaign will be launched at the beginning of 2010.

As regards communication, it is important to have one or two intermediaries per region or continent to provide a link between the network and its members. Awareness will be raised among all EI members, with particular regard to the inventory of teaching tools for young people, which is being drawn up by the ILO. There are plans to organise a number of circulars for all EI members.

To ensure that the network develops and has the means to succeed, the Executive Board has authorised the Executive Bureau to recruit a Delegate General, Thierry Weishaupt from February 2010, who will be chiefly responsible for developing the network.

Fundraising, a matter of concern to all members of the Executive Board, is now a critical strategic issue for ensuring the network’s survival.