On March 25, 2025, the ongoing crisis of attacks on education during conflicts was subject of a session at the Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Weeks (HNPW). Co-organized by the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA), the Global Education Cluster, Save the Children International, and the Geneva Global Hub for Education in Emergencies, the session emphasized urgent collaboration, highlighted national experiences, and created momentum for the 10-year anniversary of the Safe Schools Declaration (in autumn 2025). It featured interventions by child representatives from crisis-affected regions, and a panel discussion of experts in the field.
Attacks on education are rising, worsening access for children in conflict zones. Ilaria Paolazzi, Senior Advocacy and Policy Advisor at GCPEA, presented data showing a 20% increase in attacks on education and military use of schools between 2022 and 2023. Places that were most affected include Palestine, Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Myanmar. However, the Safe Schools Declaration has contributed to reducing attacks in countries like the Central African Republic, Mali, and Mozambique.
Dr. Cordula Droege, Chief Legal Officer and Head of the Legal Division of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), discussed the crucial role of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) in protecting civilians and civilian objects during armed conflict and ensuring that education continues even in times of war. Under the IHL rules governing the conduct of hostilities, students, teachers, and other education personnel are presumed to be civilians, and schools and other educational facilities civilian objects, thus protected from attack. If they become military objectives, all feasible precautions must be taken prior to attack to avoid or at least minimize civilian harm, and indiscriminate or disproportionate attacks remain prohibited. Beyond the conduct of hostilities, IHL includes specific provisions requiring parties to the conflict to facilitate access to education.
Panellists then delved into specific challenges and new developments at the country level. Halima Iliya, Financing Safe Schools Coordinator, Federal Ministry of Finance, Nigeria, highlighted the many challenges to ensuring continued education in Nigeria, including the threat from Boko Haram and other non-state armed groups. She then presented the National Plan for Financing Safe Schools, a unique initiative adopted by the Federal Government of Nigeria to mobilise sustainable funding and the political will to provide a protected and safe learning environment for learners, teachers, and non-teaching staff.
Munas Kalden, Cluster Coordinator, Education Cluster Ukraine, provided an overview of attacks on education in Ukraine: the war has left 1.2 million children without safe access to education. The education cluster has therefore undertaken a variety of efforts to address the problem. These include the provision of bomb shelters to ensure the continuation of education, the provision of mental health support, and the training of teachers as first responders.
Abed Dbas, EiE Specialist in North-West Syria, Save the Children, spoke about the situation in Syria, where 200 schools have been attacked since 2019. Despite ongoing challenges, Save the Children has been able to achieve some key successes in protecting education in conflict. These include the introduction of robust surveillance systems in schools that includes real-time monitoring, early warning alerts, and a clear reporting mechanism for any suspicious activities.
All panellists agreed on the importance of pushing for further implementation of the Safe Schools Declaration (SSD). As Iliya noted, since endorsing the SSD, Nigeria had made great progress on protecting education, including legislating new protections for children and learning in crisis-affected regions.
Adopted in 2015, the SSD now has 121 endorsing countries. It provides, among other things, practical guidelines to protect schools and universities from military use during armed conflict, hereby reducing the risk that they become military targets. The ICRC supports implementation in specific contexts and has disseminated the guidelines amongst delegations to be used as a reference tool in the protection dialogue with parties to the conflict.
Challenges remain, including lack of respect for IHL, increasing armed conflicts, and funding cuts. The humanitarian system is under strain, making collective action critical. The event reinforced the need for urgent and stronger commitments and partnerships to protect education and ensure children worldwide can learn in safety, including adequate resourcing of national level implementation of the Safe Schools Declaration. By amplifying local voices, sharing best practices, and holding governments accountable, the global community can work towards safeguarding education from the devastations of armed conflict.
