Attachments
INTRODUCTION
One in four of the world’s school-aged children – 462 million – now live in countries affected by crisis. Of these children, 75 million are in the most desperate need of support: they are either in danger of or already missing out on their right to education. During crises, children are particularly at risk of missing out on their education, yet schools provide a safe space and a vital routine for children during times of major upheaval. Education gives children the building blocks to rebuild their lives and, eventually, their country.
Yet despite the scale and gravity of this challenge now is a moment of opportunity – with increased high-level political commitment to enable access to quality education for all children and young people, leaving no one behind. In 2015 governments around the world adopted the Sustainable Development Goals, including Goal 4: to ensure that by 2030 all girls and boys have access to complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education. Without vital action to reach and teach those affected by emergencies and protracted crises, the world will fall far short of that goal.
In the lead-up to the first ever World Humanitarian Summit, repeated calls have been made for education and learning to be central to humanitarian action, and for guarantees that no child’s right to education be disrupted or interrupted by conflict or disaster. Education Cannot Wait: a Fund for education in emergencies – explained in this paper – heeds these calls and was developed to better meet the educational needs of millions of children and young people affected by crises around the world.
In his report for the World Humanitarian Summit, the UN Secretary-General calls for governments to commit to ensure safe, quality and inclusive access to primary and secondary education and vocational opportunities during and after crises. Critical to achieving this is the transcending of humanitarian-development divides. Interest in radical new approaches that join up humanitarian and development efforts on education is building in the lead-up to the World Humanitarian Summit. And there is growing interest from new and established donors alike to explore joint and innovative mechanisms to finance education in crisis. This momentum, together with the urgent needs of children worldwide, should compel all parties to act – committing political will and additional funding in support of new solutions.