D.R.C. / ©photo BÁRBARA GIL Entreculturas
In emergency contexts, education is the first right that is lost and is the last to be restored. Education must, therefore, be preserved as a vital right in any humanitarian response to an emergency or crisis.
Endorse and implement the Safe Schools Declaration and the Guidelines for Protecting Schools and Universities from Military Use During Armed Conflict.
Provide financial and coordination support to activate the rights set out in the Temporary Protection Directive of 18 March 2022 for the Ukrainian population that has been forced to flee their homes, and also to extend these rights – without any kind of discrimination – to people of other nationalities who are in the same situation of forced displacement.
It is vital to enhance the value and importance of education in humanitarian action as it is crucial for exercising other human rights, reconciliation and the achievement of peace.
Develop quality, inclusive and flexible education programmes in emergencies.
Ensure access to adaption and digitalisation for quality distance learning with context-appropriate technologies and a diversified curriculum that meets the needs of refugee and displaced children.
Include the necessary gender perspective in educational interventions in emergency and humanitarian aid situations. It is essential to offer education that protects girls and young women who are at risk of physical or sexual violence, child marriage or teenage pregnancy. Protection from human traffickers during their journey and upon arrival must also be ensured.
Prioritise the training of educators.
Addressing the nexus between development and humanitarian aid must be promoted in the interventions to be supported in order to lay the foundations for integration, social cohesion and/or the recovery of the livelihoods of populations affected by humanitarian crises and disasters. Education plays an indisputable role within this nexus.
More and better bilateral and multilateral funding. Move towards budgeting 0.7% for International Cooperation and earmark 10% of the percentage of Official Development Assistance (ODA) to humanitarian aid. Pledge 6% of these funds to education in emergencies, following the line set by the EU and the international community.
Strengthen Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship as a means to enhance democratic societies that are committed to peace and international solidarity. Consequently, at least 3% of ODA funds should be devoted to this specific education, which should be incorporated into educational standards and policies, and secured within education interventions in emergencies and human development processes.
©photos SERGI CÁMARA
Download our Education in Emergencies Reports to learn more about the situation of the right to education in humanitarian contexts, and to find out about the particular case of Lebanon.
Schools that build peace. Spaces of protection and guarantee of rights for refugee children.
Schools that Protect:
The Response to Refugees in Lebanon in a Time of Pandemic and Educational Crisis.
