On 26 February, the Geneva Global Hub for Education in Emergencies (EiE Hub), the Global Education Cluster (GEC) and the Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) all launched their new strategies in Geneva, setting a way forward at a turbulent and uncertain times. It was an opportunity to both reflect on many real achievements, and to look at how to jointly tackle what is ahead.
The event took place on the sidelines of the Executive Committee meeting of Education Cannot Wait (ECW), and brought more than 60 education stakeholders together, including donors, teacher and youth representatives, diplomats and other partners. The wide-ranging discussions focused on how, amid intensifying global crises, there is a pressing need for clearer roles and responsibilities across the Education in Emergencies (EiE) architecture.
In this sense, the three entities – EiE Hub, GEC and INEE – are all pieces of a bigger puzzle, coordinating closely, but with distinct mandates: GEC works directly with national clusters; INEE sets shared standards, provides technical support and learning; and the EiE Hub mobilises political and financial support through high-level advocacy. ECW, through its Acceleration Facility, supports the three entities to provide system-wide support, reinforcing local leadership, and advancing quality, inclusive education responses.
In his opening remarks, Graham Lang, interim Director of ECW, stressed how pivotal the current moment is for EiE, amid rising needs and shrinking resources: “The need to see how we can come together, in this resource-strained environment, is greater than ever before.”
Dr. Faiza Hassan, Director of INEE, highlighted how multiple actors in layered systems – uniting actors from the grassroots to the global level – all play a key role in delivering education to children and youth in crisis. “In this plural network, the role of INEE is to be the connective tissue, to build the community,” she said, while presenting INEE’s new operating model.
Michelle Brown, Coordinator of the GEC, then presented the GEC’s new strategy, with a strong focus on strengthening EiE coordination mechanisms for learning, protection and inclusion; ensuring local leadership; and elevating EiE through advocacy and thought leadership. She stressed that the sweeping changes to the humanitarian sector meant it’s a strategy for a “new era for education in emergencies”, and a call to action: “This is roadmap for adaptation. We need to work differently, collaborate differently, and coordinate differently. We need to reaffirm education as a life-saving and life-sustaining priority.”
Finally, Petra Heusser, Executive Director of the EiE Hub, presented the alliance’s new strategy for 2026-2030, with an emphasis on enhancing strategic alignment among EiE actors across the nexus and sectors, mobilising political and financial commitments, and elevating evidence to drive change. Petra discussed how the EiE Hub has grown rapidly in just five years to 66 members, creating a space to unite diplomacy, humanitarian actors and others for EiE: “This is a diverse alliance, because no single sector alone can address today’s challenges. We have a shared commitment to deliver for the children and youth living in crisis – and we will do so together with all of you.”
