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Countries affected by fragility and conflict

Focus Areas
Advocacy and social accountability
Children with disabilities
Countries affected by fragility and conflict
Development effectiveness
Early childhood care and education
Girls’ education and gender equality
Knowledge and Innovation Exchange
Out-of-school children
Teaching and learning
GPE helps countries strengthen and rebuild their education systems during and after a crisis so that children don’t lose out on their education.

104 million children aged 3 to 17 are deprived of education due to conflict or disaster.

During conflict, schools are often destroyed or become unsafe. Students are forced out of school, making them more vulnerable and at risk of violence, forced labor and permanent displacement, without a guarantee that they can go back to school when they arrive at a safer destination.

Ensuring that children have access to education during conflict and crises protects their rights, instills a sense of normalcy, and fosters resilience, inclusion and tolerance, supporting the long-term processes of recovery and peacebuilding.

GPE 2020 identifies support to countries affected by fragility and conflict as a key priority, in order to reach the children most in need of education support.

In situations of crisis, GPE aims to have education services restored quickly while laying the foundation to meet longer-term education goals.

Our results

70%
of children completed primary school in partner countries affected by fragility and conflict in 2016 compared to 56% in 2000
16.6 million
children were supported by GPE in partner countries affected by fragility and conflict in 2018
65%
OF GPE IMPLEMENTATION GRANTS were allocated to partner countries affected by fragility and conflict in 2018 compared to 44% in 2012
US$44.5 MILLION
IN ACCELERATED FUNDING has been allocated to ensure education continues during crises in Bangladesh, CAR, Chad, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen

Sources

Publications

Factsheet: Education for refugee children
Factsheet: Supporting countries affected by fragility and conflict
GPE in action in the Sahel region. June 2019
List of GPE partner countries affected by fragility and conflict

GPE in action

GPE finances education interventions that accompany children throughout a country's progress from preparedness through to recovery to reduce the impact of crises. It recognizes that securing education services across the divide between humanitarian and development interventions is crucial to maintaining progress.

GPE also promotes a foundation for better coordination and dialogue among development and humanitarian actors so that resources are used in the best way possible in crisis settings.

Flexible and accelerated funding: GPE can disburse up to 20% of a GPE grant within 8 weeks as emergency funding to respond to a crisis. The funds are used based on the education cluster needs assessment and agreed by the local education group and the education cluster. Activities can include temporary shelters, school meals and school supplies, as well as classroom construction, teacher payments and school grants.

Learn more:​ Guidelines for accelerated support in emergency and early recovery situations

Transitional education planning: GPE provides financial and technical support to help partner countries establish a transitional education plan. This forms the basis for a coordinated approach by identifying priority actions in the medium term to maintain progress toward ensuring the right to education and meeting longer-term educational goals.

Learn more:

Operational framework for effective support in countries affected by fragility and conflict: under this policy, GPE is able to redirect resources to priority activities arising from the emergency.

These mechanisms ensure that GPE funding to the education sector does not stop when the emergencies strike and that partners can work together in identifying the most pressing needs and the best use of the funds.

Working with partners. GPE works with Education Cannot Wait, UNHCR and other partners to ensure that education support during crisis is complementary. GPE is also facilitating dialogue among development and humanitarian actors in many countries to improve linkages and joint planning and to avoid fragmentation of education planning and financing.

Highlights

Blog
November 13, 2019
Putting gender equality at the heart of education in emergencies
Introducing the new INEE Guidance Note on Gender.
Blog
October 22, 2019
In Cox's Bazar, education is needed to prevent a lost generation
GPE CEO Alice Albright visited Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, in September and met with government officials and development partners to understand the situation of Rohingya and host communities. Watch...
Blog
September 24, 2019
Education against the odds: Children living in crisis want the chance to go to school
A new report published by Save the Children shows that children living in the world’s toughest places wanted one thing above all else: the chance to learn.
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