EiE Hub members to Heads of State and Government attending the Summit of the Future: “Education is fundamental for present and future generations”
The members of the Geneva Global Hub for Education in Emergencies (EiE Hub) urge Heads of State and Government, and the international community, to commit to respecting, protecting and ensuring education for all children and youth ahead of the Summit of the Future, which takes place 22-23 September in New York.
This summit has the potential to change the future of millions of children and youth, and the EiE Hub members stress that education is one of the most powerful and transformative investments and an indispensable means of realising all Sustainable Development Goals.
Children, young people and parents affected by crisis, when asked, consistently prioritise education alongside other life-saving interventions. In spring this year, the EiE Hub members – which include states, UN agencies and civil society organisations, foundations and academia – highlighted how children in crisis value education as much as food, health, water or money. They emphasised that education should be a priority from the first day of every crisis.
The EiE Hub members therefore call on Heads of State and Government to:
- COMMIT to respecting, protecting and ensuring education for all children and youth to accelerate progress towards SDG4 by 2030. Advocate for the strong inclusion of education in emergencies in the Pact for the Future and the Declaration on Future Generations.
- EMPHASISE in plenary statements and interactive dialogues the critical importance of providing quality, safe and inclusive education to all children and young people, leaving no one behind.
- PRIORITISE the voices and needs of crisis-affected and displaced children, youth, and their families. The international community bears a responsibility to respond to their demands and champion meaningful participation.
- ADVOCATE for increased, multi-year and flexible financing for the education of all children and youth. With growing needs, the urgency to mobilise greater financial resources has never been more critical.
Children and young people living in conflict situations experience violence in unbearable levels, including through attacks on and military use of schools and learning institutions. In 2022 and 2023 alone, over 10,000 students and educators were killed, injured, abducted, arrested, or otherwise harmed by attacks on education. Overall, 224 million children and youth affected by crises in 2023 were in urgent need of educational support.
The Summit for the Future aims to forge a new international consensus on how to deliver a better present and safeguard the future through the adoption of a Pact for the Future, which will include a Declaration on Future Generations and a Global Digital Compact. It is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to demonstrate that international cooperation can effectively achieve agreed goals and tackle emerging threats and opportunities – including the urgent need to prioritise education for children and youth affected by crisis.
