Members of the European Parliament Join Civil Society Organizations in Calling on European Commission Leaders to pledge €160 Million in Funding for Education Cannot Wait

This week, members of the European Parliament (MEPs) called on the European Commission to pledge at least €160 Million to Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the United Nations global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises. ECW is playing a key role in ensuring vulnerable crisis-affected children around the world can go to school. 

MEPs sent a cross-party letter to the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen – urging the European Union (EU) to be a global leader on education in emergencies. The letter was signed by 8 MPEs from a wide range of political groups: Renew Europe, the Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats, the Greens, the European People’s Party, the European Conservatives and Reformists Group and the Left.

Around the world, 222 million marginalized children and adolescents caught in armed conflicts, forced displacement, climate-induced disasters and protracted crises need urgent education support. For them, education is a critical lifeline. 

Sabrina Elba, Global Citizen and a Coalition of Civil Society Organizations Launch Call to Action for EU to Support ECW 

In early December, the Europe Board Chair of Global Citizen, Sabrina Elba and a coalition of civil society organizations* had launched the campaign with an open letter to the European Commission leadership, calling on the European Commission to provide support to ECW. 

This call to action is being made ahead of 16-17 February 2023, when ECW will host its High-Level Financing Conference in Geneva co-hosted by Switzerland and co-convened by Colombia, Germany, Niger, Norway and South Sudan. 

The European Commission has been a crucial strategic donor partner since ECW’s inception in 2016. Continued, multi-year support at the Conference is essential to ensure ECW can meet its 2023-2026 Strategic Plan goal to provide education to 20 million children and youth in crisis settings. 

A €160 Million pledge will bring the European Union (EU) closer to achieving its target of investing 13% of its development budget in education, as announced at the 2022 Transforming Education Summit. The pledge is in line with the 2021 G7 Ministerial Declaration on girls’ education and the EU’s Gender Action Plan III. 

The coalition stresses that “strong EU leadership is sorely needed at this critical time and will incentivise other donors to address the financing gap and enable ECW to carry out its vital work.” 

More information on the campaign is available here. Retweet the campaign here. 

*The coalition includes Global Citizen, Save the Children Europe, Finn Church Aid, International Parliamentary Network for Education, World Vision EU, Malala Fund, Plan International EU Liaison Office, The ONE Campaign, The Alliance of Active NGOs in the field of Child and Family Social Protection (APSCF), Humanity & Inclusion, LM International, CIFA Onlus and the President of Global Campaign for Education Spain