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ECW’s governance has three levels: the High-Level Steering Group (HLSG), the Executive Committee (ExCom) and the ECW Director.

High-Level Steering Group

The High-Level Steering Group provides strategic guidance to the Fund’s operations. Convened at the ministerial level, it is comprised of partner organizations – including heads of UN agencies and multilateral aid agencies, CEOs of civil society organizations and foundations, and private sector representatives.

Chair: The UN Special Envoy for Global Education, The Rt. Hon. Gordon Brown

HLSG Member List - February 2024
Terms of Reference 

Access High-Level Steering Group Meeting Documents

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HLSG
Access high-resolution photos from HLSG meetings on ECW’s Flickr.

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee – made up of representatives from partner organizations, heads of UN agencies and multilateral aid agencies, CEOs of civil society organizations and foundations, and private sector representatives – oversees ECW operations.

Co-Chair: Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany
Co-Chair: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway

ExCom Member List - March 2024
Terms of Reference

Access Executive Committee Meeting Documents

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ExCom members at Lillehammer, Norway
Access high-resolution photos from ExCom meetings on ECW’s Flickr.

ECW Executive Director

The Executive Director has broad responsibility, under the authority of the HLSG and its Chair, to provide strategic leadership to ECW and manage the ECW Secretariat. The Director’s functions include strategy and policy development and implementation, advocacy, partnership building and development, resource mobilization, and management of and oversight over ECW investments and the work of the ECW Secretariat. 

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Yasmine Sherif Portrait

Regulatory Framework

ECW is hosted by UNICEF and is regulated by the Standard Contribution Agreement (SCA). The SCA has been operationalised through the ECW Operational Manual and its appendices. 

The Operational Manual outlines policies and procedures related to the operations of ECW as the global fund dedicated to education in emergencies and protracted crises. It is informed by established standards and principles for crisis-sensitive programming in humanitarian contexts and aligned with ECW’s Strategic Plan. The approach adopted strikes a balance between predictability and the need for flexibility that working in crisis-settings requires.

ECW Operational Manual (June 2020)

operational manual