Yesterday, one month short of the 5th anniversary of the beginning of the Syrian conflict, world leaders gathered in London and pledged a record-breaking $10 billion to address Syria’s humanitarian needs.
With close to 4 million Syrian children out of school due to the conflict (2.1 million in Syria and 1.7 million child refugees in Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Egypt), education was one of the central pillars of the conference, championed by Malala Yousafzai, Ban Ki-moon, Angela Merkel, Erna Solberg, and more.
“Today, let us come together to get all children in school. Not in years, but in months.” – UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon
“We want to ensure that refugee rights are upheld everywhere, and that they have access to shelter, food, and healthcare. But we also want to create opportunities for education and livelihoods. This is what refugees want desperately.”—UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi
“We must make a promise to this generation—to empower them with education to rebuild Syria and bring peace.”— 2014 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai
The refugee crisis that has resulted from the Syrian conflict has emphasized the importance of ensuring that education continues for refugee children and children who are out of school due to conflict.
Currently, the vast majority (86%) of the people displaced by war and persecution worldwide live in the world’s poorest countries.
The Global Partnership for Education works to strengthen education in 28 conflict-affected or fragile countries and 65% of all refugee children live in GPE partner countries.