First countries to receive funding from the Education Cannot Wait initiative announced at a meeting of its High Level Steering Group.
The first countries to receive funding from the Education Cannot Wait (ECW) initiative were announced today at a meeting of its High Level Steering Group, attended by International Development Secretary Priti Patel.
Addressing the group at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Ms Patel said a generation of children depended on the scheme to which the UK pledged £30 million at the World Humanitarian Summit earlier this year.
The steering group, made up of senior Ministers and aid representatives from around the world, confirmed that the initial investments from the fund will give nearly 1.5 million children in Chad, Syria and Yemen access to a quality education over the next two years, as well as invest in strengthening national and global humanitarian responses to education.
ECW estimates that worldwide, 75 million school-aged children and youth are in desperate need of educational support, either in danger of, or already missing out on their education because of schools destroyed by conflict and natural disasters or shut down by disease outbreaks. This is depriving children of the skills they need to build safe, strong communities and economies when they reach adulthood.
The scheme aims to better coordinate support for and drive investment in education for all children and young people affected by humanitarian emergencies and protracted crises by 2030.
International Development Secretary Priti Patel said:
"The UK has led the way supporting hundreds of thousands of refugee children to get an education, particularly in Jordan and Lebanon where so many Syrians have been displaced because of the terrible conflict in their country."
"This is the right and moral thing to do but it is also firmly in the UK’s national interest. Should the international community fail to rise to the challenge of dealing with protracted humanitarian crises then the suffering will continue, millions will be left without hope and people will be pushed to undertake dangerous journeys in the hope of better lives."
"As an outward-looking, globally engaged country on the world stage, the UK wants to play its part in making sure that doesn’t happen by shaping and leading bold new international responses fit for the 21st century."
Ms Patel also called on the international community to step up their support for education in crises:
We cannot achieve this without the support of the whole international community. The UK, along with some key partners, has stepped up its global leadership and financing on this issue. It is now crucial that others do the same and step up to the plate. Together we can make progress on this critical issue.
Ms Patel visited the Za’atari refugee camp, Jordan, and an informal tented settlement in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, earlier this year to see first-hand how UK-funded programmes are delivering education and healthcare for displaced people. The ECW steering group said it will focus on getting children into school in Lebanon.
Last year Lebanon reached 200,000 Syrian refugees with formal education and now plans to build on this to reach all out-of-school refugee and Lebanese children in the country with quality formal and non-formal education, while improving education quality and governance at all levels.
The UK Government is committed to demonstrating practical ways that governments, donors, aid organisations and the private sector can work together to allow the international community to overcome the day-to-day challenges of delivering vital life opportunities like education in areas affected by conflict and instability.
Working with UNICEF, the UK launched the No Lost Generation Initiative more than two years ago for education in Syria and the region which has so far reached over 500,000 children. We are also working to expand access to vocational education and training starting with a World Bank programme providing over 30,000 Syrians and Jordanians with on-the-job training.
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