Education Cannot Wait: Protecting Children and Youth's Right to a Quality Education in Humanitarian Emergencies and Conflict Situations

Global leaders from governments, international organizations and civil society met on September 24, 2012 at the United Nations General Assembly demanding attention to children's education in crisis countries. They urged immediate action for the 28 million children – nearly half of all children not in primary school – who live in countries scarred by war and conflict, as well as millions more struck by humanitarian emergencies such as flooding, food shortages, earthquakes and other disasters

Following the meeting, the world leaders urged strong commitments to:

  • Double or more the percentage of humanitarian aid going to education
  • Enforce international laws which protect children, teachers and schools from attacks
  • Strengthen national plans and budgets for emergencies
  • Support the UN Secretary General’s Education First initiative which includes measures to help children in conflict and other emergencies

The full list of participating organizations and countries includes the governments of Australia, Côte d’Ivoire, Denmark, Liberia, Niger, Norway, Qatar, Rwanda and the United Kingdom, as well as Comic Relief, Education International, the Global Campaign for Education, the Global Partnership for Education, the Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies, Pearson International, Plan International, Save the Children, UNESCO, UNICEF, UNOCHA, and the World Bank.

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Infographic: Education Cannot Wait

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