Join the Dots to Form a Line: Education in Emergencies, Child Protection, and the Potential for Better Humanitarian Action

This was one of the European Humanitarian Forum Humanitarian Talks, hosted by the Geneva Global Hub for Education in Emergencies at the European Humanitarian Forum 2022 with its members. It highlighted recent work by the Global Education Cluster, the Child Protection Area of Responsibility, the Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) and the Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action.

Watch the recording of our Humanitarian Talk here.

Or read about it here.

With no or inadequate access to education, the most at-risk children and young people face augmented threats. These include challenges related to mental health, child marriage, being forced into child labour to support themselves and their families and becoming associated with armed groups and gangs. International Humanitarian Law includes provisions to protect against these threats, and it is essential that children and young people are afforded the resources they need to protect themselves. The best way to do so is to ensure this is closely integrated into contextually appropriate, safe, quality educational programmes for vulnerable children and youth. In short, education and child protection are intrinsically linked. The global COVID-19 crisis has put vulnerable children and young people at even greater risk, and in this context the need for strong collaboration between the education and child protection sectors is even higher.

The Humanitarian Talk allowed participants to learn and discuss the latest about the progress of education in emergencies and child protection work, in terms of both programming and coordination as well as which areas require more investment.

Programme

OPENING REMARKS
Ambassador Felix Baumann, Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the UN

PANELISTS
Henry Renna Gallano, Education Cluster Coordinator, Venezuela
Lucy Mbarago, Field Officer in Yambio, UNICEF South Sudan
Mariana Arnautu, Senior Expert, Educational and Child Protection Programs, World Vision Romania on the Ukraine response
Dieuwerke Luiten, Global Grant Manager, Porticus

Followed by an interactive Q&A discussion

CLOSING REMARKS
Mark Chapple, Head of Education, ICRC

MODERATOR
Petra Heusser, Coordinator of the Geneva Global Hub for EiE

See full EHF programme here.

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