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What is the Geneva Global Hub for Education in Emergencies?

Faced with the under-prioritisation and underfunding of education in emergencies, and given the magnitude of the challenge, members of the Geneva Global Hub for Education in Emergencies (EiE Hub) come together to form a strong alliance of like-minded states and organisations to step up visibility, political and operational commitment, and funding for EiE.

Click to download the EiE Hub Strategy (English)
Click to download the EiE Hub Strategy (French)

Vision

All children and youth affected by humanitarian emergencies, protracted crises, displacement and migration have their right to a quality education fulfilled, respected and protected.

Mission

The Geneva Global Hub for Education in Emergencies harnesses the expertise and capabilities of International Geneva’s diplomatic, humanitarian, development, human rights, protection, climate migration, and peace communities and organisations, along with academia, to come together for transformative joint action for EiE. The EiE Hub promotes policy dialogue, multistakeholder synergies and partnerships, and inspires political and financial commitments to ensure the delivery and continuity of safe, quality education to crisis-affected and displaced children and youth.

Overall objective

The Geneva Global Hub for Education in Emergencies is a physical and virtual platform that aims to be a catalyst for joint action among its members, and to increase collaboration with other sectors to prioritise education in emergencies. Together they will work to create change internationally, increase country-level impact, and foster political, financial and operational commitments for EiE.

What is the focus of the Hub?

In line with SDGs 4.1 and 4.2, the EiE Hub focuses on ensuring children’s and youth’s access to, and completion of, quality early childhood development and universal, free pre-primary, primary and secondary education, which in most countries is compulsory. This includes formal and non-formal education pathways. While the main focus is on compulsory education, the EiE Hub can also engage in dialogue on post-secondary transition.


The EiE Hub’s focus covers all crisis-affected children and youth, regardless of their status (i.e., refugees, the stateless and internally displaced, migrants and others affected by conflict, violence, climate emergencies, disasters and epidemics, as well as host communities).

©2016 World Vision

Why is a Global Hub for Education in Emergencies needed?

Humanitarian crises, conflict and displacement deny millions of children and youth their right to education. The number of crisis-impacted school-aged children requiring educational support has grown from an estimated 75 million in 2016, to 224 million today. Only 77% of refugee children are enrolled in primary school and only 36% of refugee boys are enrolled in secondary education, with enrollment for girls at 27%. Figures for internally displaced people are likely even lower. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated this situation, and in many countries affected by violence, schools also continue to be relentlessly attacked.

And yet, education is one of the most underfunded sectors in humanitarian response plans and is particularly vulnerable to economic shocks.

Despite its critical importance and value, education in emergencies has consistently received a lower than average share of funds requested. Recent analysis conducted by the EiE Hub in 2022 revealed that the education sector has become more seriously underfunded since 2018, receiving just 22% of the funds requested in UN-led humanitarian appeals in 2021 – far less than other sectors.

In emergencies and protracted crises, education must play a key role

That is why Switzerland pledged at the 2019 Global Refugee Forum to promote Geneva as the Global Hub for Education in Emergencies – a Hub which will strive to contribute so that all children and youth affected by humanitarian emergencies, protracted crises, and forced displacement have their right to a quality education fulfilled, respected and protected. The pledge was co-signed by Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the Global Education Cluster (GEC), the Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Switzerland, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNICEF, the Geneva Graduate Institute and the University of Geneva.

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©ABD ALRAHMAN ALMURAE
Pledge at the Global Refugee Forum 2019

Switzerland commits to promoting Geneva as the global hub for ‘education in emergencies’ to raise the policy and operational profile of the education of children and youth in emergencies and protracted crises. As the ‘capital of the humanitarian community’ and home to numerous academic institutions and humanitarian and development organizations working in education, International Geneva is a relatively unexploited platform with much potential for promoting policy dialogue, multi-stakeholder synergies and partnerships, and a coordination network for promoting greater awareness, political and financial commitments, as well as robust, agile and complementary humanitarian and development action for refugee and IDP education.

**Co-signed by Education Cannot Wait, the Global Education Cluster, the Graduate Institute, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNICEF and the University Geneva.

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