Executive Director's Corner

Yasmine Sherif speaking with a kid from Lebanon
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ECW Executive Director Yasmine Sherif

Yasmine Sherif is the Executive Director of Education Cannot Wait (ECW). A lawyer specialized in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Law (LL.M), she has over 30 years of experience with the United Nations and international NGOs. 

Ms. Sherif has served in some of the most crisis-affected areas of the world, including Afghanistan, the Middle East, the Balkans, Cambodia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sudan as well as in New York and Geneva. She has led high-level missions to numerous conflict and crisis-affected countries. Her expertise spans across the education, humanitarian, development, human rights, gender and peacekeeping spectrum.

She is the author of the book, The Case for Humanity: An Extraordinary Session, and a Champion for ‘No Lost Generation.’ In 2017, she received the annual award Sweden’s UN Friend of the Year, in 2020 she was awarded the Global Educator Award in the United States, and in 2022 she received on behalf of Education Cannot Wait, the prestigious Mother Teresa Award.

 

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All Statements and Updates

Teacher and student look at book together.
20 June 2023
Statements

Education: The Promise of Hope for the World’s Refugees

ECW Executive Director Yasmine Sherif Statement on World Refugee Day 20 June 2023, New York – There were 108.4 million forcibly displaced people worldwide by the end of 2022. This includes 62.5 million internally displaced people, 35.3 million refugees, 5.4 million asylum seekers and an additional 5.2 million in need...
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Young girl from Haiti with her back to the camera.
19 June 2023
Statements

Sexual Violence – In All Forms and Contexts – Must Stop

ECW Executive Director Yasmine Sherif Statement on the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict 19 June 2023, New York – Sexual violence is unacceptable in any shape or form, in all contexts, including those of conflict. As we come together on the International Day for the...
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Yasmine Sherif speaks to a Sudanese refugee girl in Chad.
13 June 2023
Director's Corner

No Peace Until Peace For All

As we head into June, we will commemorate a number of important international days that call for much-needed support to protect refugees, end child labour, stop sexual violence in conflict and ensure human rights for the innocent children victims of aggression. Together, this work will propel our efforts to achieve...
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Young boy digging in a hole.
12 June 2023
Statements

Access to Quality Learning Environments Will End Child Labour

ECW Executive Director Yasmine Sherif Statement on World Day Against Child Labour 12 June 2023, New York – Worldwide, 160 million children are engaged in child labour. Without access to safe, quality educational opportunities, their dreams of a better future have been cut short. As we commemorate the World Day...
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Girl stands in displacement camp.
04 June 2023
Statements

We Must Stop Attacks on Children Immediately

ECW Executive Director Yasmine Sherif Statement on International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression 4 June 2023, New York – Children are not targets. Children are not soldiers. Children are not weapons. As we commemorate the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression, we call on leaders everywhere...
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Girl attending class
17 May 2023
Statements

Education Must Be Put Front and Centre on the G7 Agenda

Read Japanese ECW Executive Director Yasmine Sherif Statement in advance of the G7 Hiroshima Summit At this year’s G7 Hiroshima Summit in Japan, world leaders will have a chance to “uphold the international order based on the rule of law and extend outreach to the Global South.” Education, as a...
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People holding hands
15 May 2023
Statements

Education Unites Families, Education Unites the World

ECW Executive Director Yasmine Sherif Statement on the International Day of Families (15 May) There is nothing more important than family. Family is the tie that bonds us. Family is the heart of our humanity. Family is our hope for the future. This International Day of Families, we must remember...
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Girl attending class
11 May 2023
Op-Eds

Mental Health is Key to Sustainable Development: It Starts with Quality Education

Read original via Modern Diplomacy On Mental Health Awareness month, the Executive Director of the UN’s global fund for education in emergencies, Education Cannot Wait, calls for expanded support for crisis-impacted children worldwide. Millions of children and adolescents witness family members attacked and killed. They see their homes burnt to...
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Girls at school
05 May 2023
Director's Corner

The Privilege of Making a Choice

A civilian student named Saber was caught in the crossfire in Khartoum. He had two choices: either flee and lose everything; or die. But within a moment his option to choose was violently denied: he died. As a result of the brutal internal armed conflict in Sudan right now, UNHCR...
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Family walking in Sudan
20 April 2023
Statements

ECW Executive Director Yasmine Sherif Statement on the Outbreak of Fighting in Sudan

As the fighting between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continues to spread and the death toll amongst civilians continues to rise, I, on behalf of Education Cannot Wait, am profoundly concerned by the situation in Khartoum and Darfur and condemn this latest eruption of...
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Yasmine Sherif sits with young girl in Colombia
19 April 2023
Director's Corner

Make a Mark

Looking back on the past year and taking stock of opportunities this year, we have a chance to make a mark together. By connecting dots, seizing opportunities and overcoming challenges, we can move forward, deepen, expand and solidify. Just like thousands of generations before us. The advent of the written...
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YS at HLFC Geneva
16 March 2023
Director's Corner

Keep Moving …

Only forty-five days into our new Strategic Plan 2023-2026, Education Cannot Wait secured 55 percent of its total requirement for the coming four years, reaching $826 million at #HLFC2023. This is a significant milestone for education in emergencies and protracted crises and ECW will continue to pursue fund-raising year-round in...
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Latest Photos

Access Photos of ECW Director Yasmine Sherif
ECW Director Yasmine Sherif at UN's Transforming Education Summit
ECW Director Yasmine Sherif at UN's Transforming Education Summit
ECW Director Yasmine Sherif at UN's Transforming Education Summit
The Rt. Hon. Gordon Brown, ECW Director Yasmine Sherif and ECW staff at UN's Transforming Education Summit
ECW Director Yasmine Sherif at UN's Transforming Education Summit
ECW Director Yasmine Sherif at UN's Transforming Education Summit
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Director Yasmine Sherif speaks with students during a school visit on her all-women mission to Afghanistan.
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Leading an all-women mission to Afghanistan, Director Yasmine Sherif arrives at a local school, hand-in-hand with female teachers and staff.
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Director Yasmine Sherif and actress and education champion Rachel Brosnahan take the stage at Global Citizen Live 2021 in NYC.
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Director Yasmine Sherif meets children with disabilities during ECW’s Lebanon Mission.
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Director Yasmine Sherif and Nasser Faqih, ECW Chief of Partnerships, visit a refugee camp with partners during a mission to Lebanon.
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Director Yasmine Sherif speaks with on-the-ground partners during ECW’s mission to Lebanon.

Latest Videos

Al Arabiya with Yasmine Sherif, Director of Education Cannot Wait

قناة العربية: الشارع الدبلوماسي مع طلال الحاج يستضيف ياسمين شريف حول وضع التعليم في افغانستان

Diplomatic Avenue : Al Arabiya Exclusive with Yasmine Sherif, Director of UN Global Fund ECW

ECW Executive Director Yasmine Sherif Celebrates the Fifth Anniversary of Education Cannot Wait

[FR] ECW Director Yasmine Sherif mission in DRC - part 1

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Resolutions are just tiny steps. To make them a reality requires Action. Until it becomes action on the ground, those words mean very little. Not until you help that child to access a safe, quality education have you actually achieved the result.

Yasmine Sherif, ECW Director