The Global Partnership for Education welcomes the recently released Taormina Progress Report: Investing in Education for Mutual Prosperity, Peace and Development. In this report, the G7 reflects on the historic role it has played in education since it launched the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) in 2002 to help low-income countries build strong and sustainable education systems.

The report calls on the G7 members to give greater support to GPE, which it notes has “grown to become the world’s largest multi-stakeholder partnership dedicated to helping all children access quality basic education in the world’s poorest countries.”

According to the report, G7 investments in education can act as a force multiplier to accelerate progress across a range of G7 priorities, including global development and security. The G7 recognizes that the world cannot make progress on any of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals until we achieve the global goal on education – to provide all children around the world a quality education by 2030.

The report also reflects a mounting concern that the global education crisis is untenable and unacceptable with more than 264 million children and young people not in school – many of whom are in living in countries affected by conflict and fragility.  

The report recognizes GPE’s upcoming  Financing Conference on February 2, 2018 in Dakar, Senegal, as “an important opportunity for the global community to recommit to the promise of education and unleash the potential and talent of the next learning generation”.

With contributions from G7 members, as well as other key donors, GPE has committed more than US$4.7 billion to help developing countries build and strengthen durable, resilient national education systems in more than 60 countries, including in 29 countries affected by fragility and conflict.

As recommended by the International Commission on Financing Global Education Opportunity, GPE’s goal is to be a US$2 billion a year organization by 2020, doubling to US$4 billion a year by 2030.

GPE is especially grateful to the Italian government, which holds the G7 Presidency, for its leading role in highlighting the increased investments needed to achieve universal quality education – as well as peace, prosperity and sustainable development.

We hope that the G7’s focus and attention on education continues until the global goal is achieved.