As world leaders gathered in Paris last week at the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact, it was clear their discussions were going to be important for the education sector.
Through the panels, roundtables and discussions, governments reiterated just how central education is to achieving all the sustainable development goals, including making our world more peaceful and safer, combating climate change.
1. Education cannot be separated from poverty and climate change
In his opening remarks at the summit, President Macron recognized the links between ending poverty and a just green transition: “No decision maker should ever have to choose between reducing poverty and protecting our planet.”
Mia Mottley, President of Barbados and the architect of the Bridgetown Agenda, said “Education and climate cannot be separated.”
The Chair’s Summary made clear that “In this fight, education financing is an investment, and not a cost.”
As actors in the education sector move ahead from the Paris Summit, this means that more connections to climate funds are needed, that education must be included in climate funding, and that both mitigation and adaptation efforts need to put education at the center.
2. More, more equitable and more efficient financing for education is needed
President of Niger Mohamed Bazoum shared with the UNESCO and GPE roundtable on Increasing Global Investment in Education to Catalyze Sustainable Development: “Niger could invest 50% of our resources in education but it still wouldn’t be enough. We need an international financing system to help the state of Niger to break this stalemate. Only education can create the conditions for prosperity in Niger; this holds true for Africa.”
He added: “We cannot live in a world where there is prosperity only in some parts and poverty in others. We cannot expect harmony and peace in such a world, it’s impossible!”
Dr. Kwaku Afriye, Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation of Ghana, called for climate financing to be channeled to education, because “an educated population is one of our surest allies in addressing climate issues”.
3. Governments called for a new approach to international financing for education
Throughout the summit there were clear calls from Heads of State and ministers for country ownership, aid effectiveness, harmonization and alignment in education behind international systems and government priorities. This aligns with the TES Summit Commitment to Action on Education Financing and the January 2023 Ministerial Communique.
A. K. Abdul Momen, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh, said “The current multilateral education financing system presents several challenges that hinder the efficient utilization of funds and the achievement of desired education outcomes. The presence of multiple agencies with overlapping mandates can make it challenging for partner countries to navigate…. As Macron said, one size doesn’t fit all, so our solutions should be tailored according to needs of beneficiaries. We must make every penny spent count for our future generation.”
These discussions built on education finance discussions held at the IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings, including the Multilateral Financing of Education Initiative, which GPE is a member of.
