The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Board of Directors met in Paris, France on June 3-5, 2025.

We extend our gratitude to the French government for hosting this event, as France plays an increasingly crucial role in supporting GPE. The meeting opened with an address by Minister Thani Mohamed Soilihi, Minister of State for Francophonie and International Partnerships, France. We also heard from Mr. Saidzoda Rahim, Minister of Education and Science, Tajikistan, who shared valuable insights into educational challenges and opportunities in his country; and from the Vice Chair on her recent mission to Ghana launching an $80 million partnership with philanthropy, private and multilateral partners to improve foundational learning nationwide.

In today's challenging financial and political climate, the meeting underscored the urgent need for ambitious education funding; the evermore important need to be coordinated, effective and innovative. As GPE partner countries confront economic headwinds, conflicts and the intensifying impacts of climate change, their demand for financing to nurture the minds of the next generation is growing. At the same time, reductions in Official Development Assistance (ODA) threaten education gains, and are significantly impacting the operations of many GPE partners.

Despite these challenges, the strength of GPE as a partnership and a fund was evident both throughout the three-day meeting and in the leadership of the Secretariat. The Board welcomed the adaptations GPE has already made that have increased our resilience in these challenging times, as well as the significant results achieved together: by the end of 2025, GPE funding and co-financing will have supported 372 million children with better quality education.

During the meeting, the Board made several critical decisions that will further strengthen GPE's ability to efficiently and effectively support partner countries to transform their education systems and lay the foundations for sustainable education financing and quality and inclusive education for all.

In response to reduced donor pledges, increased uncertainty, and unprecedented high demand for GPE funds, the Board made the difficult decision to revise indicative allocation amounts for a number of remaining unapproved grants. The decision does not impact any existing approved grants.

The Secretariat’s FY26 operating budget was also approved. The Board noted with satisfaction the Secretariat’s success in keeping operating costs low and commended its cost-saving efforts, while emphasizing the importance of continuing to find operational efficiencies.

Turning its attention to the upcoming 2026-2030 strategic period, the Board decided to retain the overarching mission, vision and goal from the previous strategy, and approved three new objectives for the 2026-2030 period, which will be underpinned by a strengthened approach to monitoring results across the partnership. The Board emphasized the importance of maintaining GPE’s ambition on mainstreaming gender equality and supporting people with disabilities, refugees, and marginalized groups, and requested that the strategy strengthen the participation of teachers, students, children and young people.

Recognizing the need for the partnership to adapt to a rapidly changing external environment and adopt bold strategies to close the education financing gap, the Board approved the criteria for eligibility and allocations for the next strategic period. Guided by a needs-based formula, these criteria preserve a majority of GPE funds for low-income countries while placing greater emphasis on leveraging grant financing to catalyze more and better investments in education. Noting the significant opportunity presented by innovative financing, the Board authorized an increase in cofinancing requirements to 4:1 for new allocations, while maintaining the 1:1 match for private and philanthropic funding. The Board also noted the critical importance of increasing domestic financing as the most sustainable source of investment in transforming education systems.

The Board made two important decisions to boost GPE's resource mobilization abilities.

The Board approved policy changes to the Contributions and Safeguards Policy to facilitate targeted financing and flexibility from contributors while maintaining robust safeguards.

Following its decision to create a non-profit legal entity in Geneva, Switzerland, the Board endorsed the Coordination Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and acknowledged the Statutes of the Foundation to support GPE. The Foundation will enable GPE to partner and receive contributions from corporations, family offices, foundations, and high-net-worth individuals, securing additional resources alongside our traditional funding streams. In addition to the initial offer from the government of Switzerland, Friends of Education Switzerland, UBS Optimus Foundation, Aga Khan Foundation, and the International Geneva Welcome Center, an additional contribution from Friends of Education Switzerland was announced to support the establishment of the Foundation, which should start operations after the summer. 

The meeting concluded with a farewell to outgoing Board members, Rhona Faseny McPhee from Australia and Line Frieberg Nielsen from Denmark; a chance to introduce the GPE Youth leaders, Wadi Ben-Hirki from Nigeria and Carolina Earle from Switzerland, to all Board members; and the signing of the Coordination Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the Foundation to support GPE.