Global Leaders Urge Participation in High-Level Financing Conference to Fund Education for 222 Million Crisis-Impacted Children — Global Issues
NAIROBI, February 3 (IPS) – The world is engulfed in a severe, damaging and unprecedented global education crisis. War, protracted conflict, extreme climate change, famine, COVID-19 and economic turmoil are pushing children out of the education system.
In 2016, an estimated 75 million children in crisis needed educational support. Today, that number has more than tripled to 222 million. From Afghanistan, Moldova, Colombia, Libya, Iraq, Somalia and South Sudan, when life as they know it crumbles around them, education is their last hope.
“The dreams of 222 million girls and boys are being crushed by conflict, displacement and climate chaos. No one understands this better than Education Cannot Wait — the lifeline of education for children across 40 countries in crisis,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
“At the finance conference in February, I called on leaders to commit to investing in education systems that can support those left behind. Let’s keep the dreams alive. Keep hope alive. Keep pushing for a brighter future that every child deserves.”
Affected children are not only left behind in the education system, missing out on lifelong learning and earning opportunities, but are also the most vulnerable to sexual and economic exploitation, human trafficking. and recruitment into militia groups.
However, funding is not enough to reverse many of the challenges so that children can access a quality, inclusive and safe education. For this reason, global leaders will meet at Education can’t wait for the Financial Summit February 16-17, 2023, in Geneva, Switzerland, to make good on its commitments to ensuring that every child, everywhere, has access to a quality education.
Yasmine Sherif, Director of Education Can’t Wait, explains that the ECW Financial Summit is “an important opportunity to put the commitments from the Education Transformation Summit (TES) into action. By providing substantial funding contributions to ECW, strategic funding partners can ensure quality education for girls and boys during the most difficult global crisis. “
She further emphasized that “now is the time to redouble our efforts if we are to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Education – SDG4 – must be at the heart of our efforts. these efforts, as it underlies all other goals. goal to be achieved.”
Co-organized by ECW and Switzerland and co-organized by the Governments of Colombia, Germany, Niger, Norway and South Sudan, the Geneva event will be open to the public as a virtual event live stream.
At the heart of the conference agenda is a concerted global effort to mobilize much-needed resources from donors, organizations and high-income individuals to implement ECW’s. four-year strategic planwill raise $1.5 billion in additional resources to reach 20 million children and young people facing some of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
Keynote speakers include the United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education and ECW Senior Steering Group Chair, Gordon Brown; Federal Councilor of the Swiss Confederation, Ignazio Cassis; German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Svenja Schulze; Niger Education Minister Ibrahim Natatou; Norwegian Minister of International Development Anne Bethe Tvinnereim; South Sudanese Minister of General Education Awut Deng Acuil; and Colombian Minister of Education Alejandro Gaviria.
Top-level representatives from UN agencies, civil society, governments and global youth representatives will also take part in the two-day event, which is expected to feature more than 400 live delegates and many others join online globally.
The importance of this conference cannot be overemphasized, as 78 million of the estimated 222 million children and young people affected by conflict and other emergencies do not attend school at all.
“At this rate of progress,” warns Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai, “girls in crisis-affected countries may not be able to complete their education until 2063. his sex. Young people in crisis-affected countries will have to wait generations for their right to education.
“I urge leaders to ensure a safer and more equitable future for all children by fully funding Education Can’t Wait. Make sure that 222 million children are not left behind. Make sure all children have access to a safe, quality and free education.”
To speed things up, the event will kick off with a high-level segment on February 16, 2023, inviting global leaders to put the educational needs of children affected by the crisis first in international agenda.
On the first day of the conference, leaders will announce significant new financial support for Education can’t wait to achieve the Foundation’s goals 20 million girls and boys for the next four years.
A notable focus on Afghanistan – led by Christina Lamb, co-author of “I Am Malala” and Somaya Faruqi, captain of the Afghan Girls Robotics Team – will deliver a key advocacy moment into the first day of the conference, along with key sessions on A New Way of Work, Do It At Humane Speed and Depth of Development, and Leaving No One Behind in Forced Displacement Situations .
On Monday, February 17, 2023, a series of roundtable discussions to share ideas, experiences, and stories to change the way emergency education is delivered around the world will be held. introduce.
Founded in 2016, Education Cannot Wait has reached nearly 7 million children and young people with comprehensive educational support, including upgrading learning spaces and ensuring children have quality learning materials. quality, training and financial support for teachers, and providing mental health services, school catering and other comprehensive children’s solutions. The Foundation has raised more than $1.1 billion from donors, the private sector and philanthropic foundations.
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© Inter Press Service (2023) — All rights reservedOrigin: Inter Press Service
