As the Global Campaign for Education has emphasized throughout preparations for the 4^th International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4), reforming the global financial architecture is essential. Without it, countries will not have the fiscal space to invest in public education.

States are responsible for ensuring the right to education for all. To fulfill this obligation, they must fund education to the maximum of their available resources, as enshrined in international human rights law. This means providing adequate, long-term sustainable public funding and placing investment in public and inclusive education at the heart of national priorities.

Transforming education financing requires us to go beyond current commitments. We need universal, sustainable and systemic solutions to mobilize more resources, enhance equity and efficiency in spending, and to improve data and accountability in education financing.

One of the key priorities the Global Campaign for Education has consistently emphasized over the years is the urgent need to broaden the tax base through progressive tax reforms.

Today, governments lose around US$480 billion every year to tax abuse. Illicit financial flows—such as tax evasion, corporate profit shifting and corruption—drain billions annually from economies already facing financial strain, deepening inequality and limiting access to education, healthcare and infrastructure.

Significant revenue can be generated through the implementation of progressive wealth taxes—policies that could fundamentally reshape the way we finance public education.

This call to action was clearly articulated by the education movement during the Transforming Education Summit 3 years ago.

These efforts must include both ring-fencing funds for education and increasing investment per learner. Low-income countries currently spend just $55 per learner per year, compared to $8,543 in high-income countries. This needs to change.

The ongoing negotiations for a new UN Framework Convention on Tax represent a critical opportunity. If done right, they can enable all countries to expand tax revenues in a fair, equitable way.

Bold initiatives like the internationally coordinated “billionaires’ tax” proposed by the Group of Twenty (G20) should also be pursued. And the revenues generated must be channeled into public sector investment, particularly in education.

Debt systems also need to be reformed by eliminating harmful conditions that force cuts to education. Today, 50% of low-income countries spend more on debt servicing than on education.

We urgently need debt cancellation and a fundamental overhaul of the global debt architecture—this is why we strongly support the establishment of a UN Framework Convention on Debt.

Finally, education financing must never be disconnected from the purpose of education itself. It is not enough to simply increase budgets.

If education investments are not guided by principles of equity, participation and justice, they risk reinforcing—not dismantling—existing inequalities.

To truly break cycles of exclusion, education financing must be consciously directed toward strengthening social justice through public education.