As the aid sector grapples with fundamental reforms amid funding cuts, a side event at the ECOSOC Humanitarian Affairs Segment on 16 June spotlighted the importance of Education in Emergencies (EiE) and the need to retain it as a priority in interventions. Participants also emphasised the critical roles of women-led organisations (WLOs) in delivering education to children and youth in some of the harshest emergencies on the planet, and how to ensure they play a more meaningful role in critical decision making, as the humanitarian sector undertakes reforms.
The event was co-sponsored by Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the Global Education Cluster, the Government of Switzerland, UNICEF, VOICE Amplified, and the Geneva Global Hub for Education in Emergencies, and also featured guest speakers from WLOs in Nigeria (GHIV Africa) and Pakistan (Pakistan Alliance for Girls Education, PAGE). More than 80 people attended online or in person at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.
During her opening remarks, Hazel de Wet, Deputy Director of EMOPS at UNICEF, highlighted why EIE must remain a priority in the humanitarian reset: “Education is not just life-changing – it is lifesaving and a critical service multiplier”. She further emphasised how cuts to education funding disproportionately affects the most vulnerable, including children and youth with disabilities or displaced: “Bold action is no longer optional, it is necessary.”
Mulikat Bamidele, the Executive Director of GHIV Africa, stressed how the impact of funding cuts had already led to an increase in out-of-school children in Nigeria, where her organisation is based. “Donors often do not see education as life-saving, even though it should be considered as such. There is also a real need to strengthen partnerships and collaboration with local women-led organisations.”
Fajer Rabia, Executive Director of the Pakistan Alliance for Girls Education, echoed many of these sentiments. She stressed that being a woman leader in the education field can be a “lonely journey”, in particular as local women-led organisations are often included in decision-making or project delivery in a merely tokenistic way: “We are asked to implement, but not to actually shape programs. True inclusion means our early involvement in projects, including to set strategy.”
Jihane Latrous, Gender Manager with ECW, highlighted how her organisation had taken steps to better ensure that the skills and insights of WLOs are featured in programming. For example, in 2024 more than one-third of all Multi-Year Resilience Programme (MYRP) funding grants included women-led organisations. Despite this, Jihane stressed that there is “much work left” to ensure partnerships with WLOs are truly equitable and sustainable.
Mendy Marsh, Co-founder and Executive Director, VOICE Amplified, emphasised how violence is also a systemic barrier to learning: “It is not enough to just build schools. If girls are assaulted on their way to school, the promise of education is already broken. When gender-based violence is addressed, we see the positive ripple effects for schooling.”
The event concluded with an emphatic assertion by all panellists that women-led organisations play a vital role in driving change for more equitable, inclusive education.
For more on Education in Emergencies and gender, see the dedicated section on the EiE Hub’s website.
You can watch the full recording of the event here:
