What is the Global Partnership for Education (GPE)?
Why is supporting education for children in lower-income countries so important?
What are the benefits of education?
How does GPE provide innovative financing to partner countries?
Where does GPE provide support?
How does GPE support partner countries?
Does GPE fund all levels of education?
Does GPE support civil society organizations active in education?
What is the Global Partnership for Education (GPE)?
The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) is the largest global fund dedicated to transforming education in lower-income countries, and a unique, multi-stakeholder partnership. It supports more than 90 lower-income countries with investments since its inception of more than $11 billion.
When did GPE start?
GPE was launched in 2002 as the Education For All - Fast Track Initiative to accelerate progress toward the Millennium Development Goal 2 on universal primary education. In 2011, the program was renamed "Global Partnership for Education" and aligned its objectives with the Sustainable Development Goal 4 on education in 2015.
What does GPE do?
GPE supports countries to deliver quality education so that every girl and boy can unlock their potential and contribute to building a better world. It focuses on the most marginalized children, including girls who face specific barriers to education, children with disabilities, and children displaced by war and violence or who are refugees. GPE helps partner countries define a priority reform with the potential to unlock large-scale progress throughout the education system. GPE provides grants to countries to implement these reforms.
Why is supporting education for children in lower-income countries so important?
Education is one of the most powerful drivers of social and economic development. When children receive quality education, it helps:
- Reduce poverty and inequality
- Improve health and well-being
- Empower girls and women
- Strengthen economies and communities
- Promote stability and peace.
Supporting education ensures that every child has the opportunity to reach their full potential and contribute to society.
What are the benefits of education?
Quality education leads to many long-term benefits including:
- Better employment opportunities
- Higher lifetime savings
- Improved health and expectancy
- Stronger civic participation
- Greater innovation and economic growth.
Education also empowers individuals to make informed decisions and participate fully in their communities.
How is GPE financed?
GPE mobilizes investments and funding from donor governments, private foundations and the private sector. These resources are used to support national education plans and reforms in partner countries.
How does GPE provide innovative financing to partner countries?
With budgets under a major strain, spiraling debt and shifting priorities in donor and partner countries, education financing is in crisis. To respond to this issue, GPE has pioneered new ways to broaden financing options and tools to catalyze more financing for education. GPE's innovative financing tools are raising additional, efficient and equitable education financing. These instruments, like the GPE Multiplier or Debt2Ed, catalyze more funds, bring in new partners, and transform debt or debt repayment into investments in education.
Where does GPE provide support?
GPE works with more than 90 partner countries, focusing the majority of its resources to lower-income nations and countries affected by fragility or conflict. The partnership prioritizes reaching marginalized children, affected by poverty, gender inequality, disability, and displacement.
How does GPE support partner countries?
GPE supports governments by helping them develop and implement national education strategies and policies, coordinating funding and partners, and supporting reforms that improve equity, learning and system resilience. GPE provides access not only to funding, but also to research, technical expertise from across the partnership, and support to bolster the voices of civil society organizations active in education.
Does GPE fund all levels of education?
GPE supports a full cycle of education including:
- 1 year of pre-primary education
- Primary education
- Secondary education
The goal is to ensure 12 years of education and 1 year of pre-primary learning for every child. GPE does not support tertiary education (university level).
Does GPE support civil society organizations active in education?
Yes. Education Out Loud is GPE's fund to support stronger civil society engagement in education. Education Out Loud is the largest fund in the world supporting civil society's advocacy and accountability for education with a budget of US$133 million. It is managed by Oxfam Denmark.
Civil society organizations are key partners in GPE. They help:
- Advocate for better education policies
- Monitor education programs and funding
- Promote accountability and community participation.
Where is GPE located?
GPE has offices in Washington, DC, USA; Paris, France; Brussels, Belgium; Nairobi, Kenya; and Chennai, India.
You can find location information on the Contact us page.
GPE doesn't have a presence in other partner countries, and instead relies on grant agents to oversee the activities supported by our grants.
Can I make a donation to GPE?
As a fund administered by the World Bank, GPE is not able to directly receive donations from individuals. However, GPE has established the Foundation for GPE, a Swiss foundation set up to advance GPE's mission and that permits partnerships with philanthropic and private partners as well as individuals. Please contact the foundation with your enquiry.
If your question is not answered here, please email us at @email