 The Founding of World OMEP: Physical
devastation from World War II was evident throughout
Europe – crumbled buildings, ruined parks, impassable
streets, damaged infrastructure. Psychological and
social damage were equally evident. But the promise of a
peaceful future was emerging as well, as, for example,
in the creation of the United Nations.
In 1946, at this remarkable moment in history, a small
group of educators and others came together with a
strong sense of humanitarian concern for the welfare of
young children. Lady Allen of Hurtwood (United Kingdom)
and Alva Myrdal (Sweden), with others from France,
Denmark, and Norway, developed a plan for the creation
of a world organization to promote the wellbeing, rights
and education of young children.
OMEP World Assemblies and Congresses: With
support for the plan by the UNESCO Assembly in Paris,
the founders invited representatives of 19 countries
from 5 continents to a World Conference on Early
Childhood Education in Prague in 1948. At that
conference, OMEP was formally established and Alva
Myrdal was elected its first World President. This new
organization was recognized as the principal mechanism
to bring together people from all over the world, with
the objective to share information and initiate actions
to benefit young children everywhere.
The second World Assembly in 1949 drew representatives
from 33 countries, indicating the growing strength of
the young OMEP organization. The third World Assembly in
1950 drew observers from the major intergovernmental
agencies, UNESCO, UNICEF, and the World Health
Organization (WHO).
Over the last 6 decades, OMEP has held 26 World
Assemblies and Congresses in many parts of the world:
Mexico City (1952), Copenhagen (1954),Athens (1956),
Brussels (1958), Zagreb (1960), London (1962), Stockholm
(1964), Paris (1966), Washington, DC (1968), Bonn
(1971), Caracas (1974), Warsaw (1977), Quebec, (1980),
Geneva (1983), Jerusalem (1986), London (1989),
Flagstaff, Arizona (1992), Yokohama (1995), Copenhagen
(1998), Santiago, Chile (2001), and Havana, Cuba (2005),
Troms˘, Norway (2006), Mexico City (2007), Quebec City
(2008), Lagos, Nigeria (2009), and Goteborg, Sweden
(2010). For information about the 2010
World Assembly and Congress, visit
http://www.omep.org.gu.se/English/
news/XXVI_World_Congress_2010/
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