Attachments
Executive summary: key findings and recommendations from the expert roundtable to strengthen accountability for attacks on education
This event was groundbreaking. It was the first time that such a diverse group of domestic and international prosecutors and justice experts came together in a single forum to share their experiences and views on enhancing accountability for international crimes targeting or impacting education. It created unprecedented opportunities for collaboration and momentum. A commitment to finding ways to protect education was palpable in the room. The practitioners’ guidance GCPEA will produce could not be timelier.
Federica Tronchin
Head of International Justice Programme and Senior Gender and Child Rights Advisor, Justice Rapid Response
Attacks on education are a grave and rising concern. Despite the prevalence and gravity of attacks on education – and the clear prohibition and criminalisation of certain types of attacks under international law – justice remains elusive for the overwhelming majority of victims, survivors, and their families as incidents are rarely investigated and prosecuted, domestically or internationally.
On 11 July 2025, the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA), the Permanent Mission of Spain, and the Education Above All Foundation (EAA) convened a historic gathering of national, regional, and international experts in Geneva and online, in the framework of GCPEA’s Accountability Project project supported by EAA, Justice Rapid Response (JRR), Norway and Spain. Building on the findings and key recommendations outlined in GCPEA’s Guide on “Enhancing accountability for attacks on education: investigating and prosecuting education-related crimes”, the roundtable drew on diverse experiences and areas of expertise to inform and guide the development of tools to equip investigators, prosecutors, lawyers, judges, and other relevant domestic, regional, and international judicial and non-judicial actors with guidance to strengthen accountability for education-related crimes.
Discussions highlighted the complexity of addressing education-related crimes within both judicial and non-judicial mechanisms, and the pressing need to equip investigators, prosecutors, lawyers, judges, national human rights institutions, and other relevant actors with practical tools to advance accountability with a series of tailored and adaptable tools and capacity-building.