On 30 October 2024, attendees to the 34th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (namely States party to the Geneva Conventions, all components of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and external observers) joined a side event on “Strengthening the protection of children in and through education”, co-hosted by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the Geneva Global Hub for Education in Emergencies (EiE Hub), the Global Alliance for Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience in the Education Sector (GADRRRES), the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA) and Switzerland.
The participants unanimously called for greater priority to be placed on education, including by proposing a dedicated resolution on education and child protection to the 35th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in 2028. Among specific issues proposed to be included in such a resolution, the audience suggested: funding for education in emergencies; safe and inclusive spaces; holistic approaches to children’s learning, safety and well-being (e.g., including mental health and psychosocial support, food security and nutrition, safeguarding, violence prevention and mitigation, water, sanitation and hygiene, emergency preparedness, risk reduction, and anticipatory action); humanitarian education; and protection of education from attack and military use through increasing respect for International Humanitarian Law and implementation of the Safe Schools Declaration and Comprehensive School Safety Framework.
Taking a step in that direction, the IFRC and ICRC have opened for signatures a pledge to strengthen education and the protection of children. Switzerland was the first State to sign, and Norway has also committed to do so, as announced by, respectively, Ambassador Dominik Stillhart, Deputy Director General and Head of Humanitarian Aid and SHA Division of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, and Cathrine Andersen, Special Representative for the Protection of Civilians at the Norwegians’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Early signatories also include the Haiti Red Cross Society, Save the Children, Samoa Red Cross Society, Spain and the Solomon Islands Red Cross. Through the endorsement of the pledge, the signatories commit to step up collaborative localization efforts so that all children and young people, especially those affected by emergencies:
- can safely and uninterruptedly access inclusive, quality education by ensuring the protection of education facilities and taking anticipatory action before emergencies occur,
- are protected from any type of violence, abuse, and exploitation, with a particular focus on education, and
- can actively and meaningfully engage in decisions affecting their lives and future, with a particular focus on education.
An expert panel highlighted why this attention is warranted, stressing among other challenges the increase in grave violations of children’s rights in armed conflicts.
Michelle Chew Shi Jie, National Youth Council Chair of the Malaysian Red Crescent Society and IFRC Youth Commission Chair, spoke about the critical role young people play in building resilient communities as illustrated by the Safe Steps, Safe Schools, Safe Kids initiative run by the Malaysian Red Crescent in partnership with Prudence Foundation, IFRC and Cartoon Network. She also called on the audience to adopt child- and youth-friendly approaches to programme development and management to ensure children and young people can meaningfully, and in age-appropriate ways, participate in any decision, process or activity that concerns them.
Catherine Iskandar, Psychosocial Support and Protection, Gender and Inclusion Program Officer of the Lebanese Red Cross, explained some of the significant challenges in Lebanon, particularly in terms of setting up temporary safe spaces for children to play, learn and socialize, providing them with mental health and psychosocial support, and obtaining financial resources to carry out their combined educational, protection and psychosocial support activities.
Xavier Castellanos, IFRC Under-Secretary General for National Society Development and Operations Coordination, offered examples of good practice from National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and reiterated the key role they fulfil. He also underlined the need to address the question of the repurposed use of schools as temporary shelters in national legislation and highlighted the unique opportunity that the International Conference provides to collectively make education and child protection higher priorities on humanitarian agendas.
Before, during and after crisis of any type, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement components carry out a wide range of humanitarian education-related activities, notably in support or in substitution of public authorities. The National Societies’ auxiliary role, organizational branch system and network of community volunteers make them uniquely positioned to identify and address educational needs and related child protection risks in local communities. However, they require more financial and technical support to strengthen their preparedness, anticipatory and response capacity in these fields.
Petra Heusser, Executive Director of the Geneva Global Hub for Education in Emergencies, moderated the panel discussion. Yasmine Praz Dessimoz, ICRC Director of Operations, delivered concluding remarks reflecting on the objectives of the event, calling on all States to promote respect for IHL as well as to prioritise and finance education and child protection in emergencies.
