The first two pages of the document consist of Item 27 of the provisional agenda for the 1974 session of the UNESCO General Conference regarding the desirability of adopting an international instrument on the development of adult education. The remainder of the document is the report of a Preliminary Study of the Technical and Legal Aspects of the Preparation of an International Instrument on the Development of Adult Education. Opening sections of the study provide an introduction concerning concepts and considerations in adult education, followed by definitions giving the reader a clearer idea of various approaches to content and methods. Succeeding sections give a brief account of the history of adult education; a description of the situation and trends in contemporary societies; and the problem of defining a strategy for adult education as part of a process of lifelong education and cultural development. A final section outlines fields in which the adoption of an instrument seems desirable and feasible covering: general policy; adult education structures; establishments, organization, and financing; time for education and circumstances of participants; adult education staff; methods; international cooperation; and the forms of normative action. (Author/NH)