Call to action to address the impact of COVID-19 on education in emergencies

New Delhi: In a call to action, members of the Geneva Global Hub for Education in Emergencies urge the international humanitarian and development community to prioritize education and warn against the severe consequences of underfunding in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pledge calls upon every government, donor agency, humanitarian and development actor, along with academia, to work to ensure that education is not further de-prioritized. It reminds donors of the long-lasting consequences if education remains underfunded and recalls States’ obligations to ensure that children and youth in countries affected by conflict and violence are safe, supported and able to continue to learn, during and also after the pandemic.

It highlights the work of the Global Education Coalition as a positive example of a platform for coordinated response.

The Geneva Global Hub for Education in Emergencies was established following a pledge made by Switzerland during the 2019 Global Refugee Forum. In addition to UNESCO, the call to action was signed by Education Cannot Wait (ECW), Global Education Cluster (GEC), Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE), Switzerland, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), University of Geneva, as well as International Organization for Migration (IOM) and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).