In the News

Action Education se réjouit que le Conseil Présidentiel pour les Partenariats Internationaux ait réaffirmé l’éducation comme priorité stratégique de la politique de coopération internationale de la France. 

Since its founding in 2020, the centre has published over 14 research briefs and launched projects with partners like Education Cannot Wait. “We’re embedding research into every intervention,” said El Samarany. “We want teacher professional development, AI tools, and policy advocacy to all align with this agenda. That’s how we drive systems change.”

A new partnership between Germany and the African Union was announced to strengthen organisations of persons with disabilities across Africa, with a focus on youth and women. The multilateral education initiative Education Cannot Wait will collaborate with Germany, the United Kingdom, IDA, and the Girls’ Education Challenge to improve data collection and accountability for inclusive education in crisis-affected regions by 2028.

Education Cannot Wait (ECW) and our strategic partners deliver speedy and lifesaving quality education on the frontlines of the world's most severe humanitarian crises. In places like Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti and Cameroon, this means healthy school meals, greater nutrition, safe classrooms and access to public health initiatives that are available at the beginning of school.

Zum anderen, weil Kriege überhaupt losgebrochen werden. Aber darüber wurde auf dem Kongress nur indirekt gesprochen, etwa bei der Vorstellung der Kampagne »Education Cannot Wait«. Weltweit gebe es 234 Millionen Kinder ohne akzeptablen Zugang zu Bildung wegen Kriegen und Katastrophen. 23 Millionen davon hätten Behinderungen, so ihre Geschäftsführerin Yasmine Sherif: »Und der Anteil Verstümmelter wächst.«

Alors que les partenaires se réunissent pour le Sommet sur le handicap, Éducation sans délai (ECW) et le Partenariat mondial pour l’éducation (GPE) appellent les dirigeants du monde entier à mobiliser leur soutien en faveur des enfants en situation de handicap dans les pays touchés par la fragilité ou les conflits .

Alors que les dirigeants et les parties prenantes du handicap se réunissent cette semaine pour renforcer les engagements mondiaux en faveur de l’inclusion des personnes en situation de handicap, ECW et le GPE appellent les partenaires à soutenir l’éducation inclusive pour les enfants en situation d’urgence et de fragilité. Ils encouragent la promotion d’une allocation financière pluriannuelle équitable en faveur des enfants très marginalisés, y compris les filles et les garçons en situation de handicap.

“As we gather at the Global Disability Summit, Education Cannot Wait reaffirms its unwavering commitment to ensuring that children with disabilities are at the core of our efforts to leave no child behind in crisis settings,” said Yasmine Sherif, Executive Director of ECW.

These children include Zénabou, a 14-year-old girl from the Central African Republic who was born deaf and could not speak. She had never been to school. All that changed through ECW’s holistic education programme in the Central African Republic, specifically focusing on children with disabilities.

As partners come together for the 2025 disability summit, ECW and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) are calling on leaders worldwide to galvanize support for children living with disabilities in crisis settings and fragile contexts. Stressing that the power of education as a pathway toward peace and resilience cannot be underestimated.

The visionary advocate for children's rights, Sigrid Kaag, has taken the helm at Education Cannot Wait (ECW) as the new Chair of its High-Level Steering Group. This pivotal role will see her lead global initiatives aimed at mobilizing resources to ensure that children living in the world's most challenging humanitarian contexts can access quality education.

“Education Cannot Wait and its strategic partners are integral in transforming the lives of millions affected by crises,” Kaag stated. “Our commitment to their right to education is not just a moral obligation; it is the best investment towards fostering economic resilience and global security.” Her commitment to expanding support from both public and private sectors aims to build on ECW’s existing success, which has positively impacted over 11 million children.

“With her extensive international experience and dedication to children in crisis, Sigrid Kaag will be a remarkable leader for Education Cannot Wait,” said Brown, endorsing her capabilities to guide the next phase of this vital organization.

Sigrid Kaag is the newly appointed Chair of Education Cannot Wait, focusing on children's education in crisis situations.

Education Cannot Wait is a global fund dedicated to providing education in emergencies and protracted crises.

Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises in the United Nations, is proud to announce the appointment of Sigrid Kaag of The Netherlands as the new Chair of ECW’s High-Level Steering Group.

“Education Cannot Wait and its strategic partners transform the lives of millions of girls and boys impacted by armed conflicts, forced displacement and climate-induced disasters. Our investment in their right to quality education is our shared responsibility and is the best investment towards economic resilience, global security and sustainable development,” said Kaag.

Through its four-year strategic plan, ECW is working with donors, member states, the private sector, UN agencies and civil society to raise US$1.5 billion to reach 20 million crisis-impacted children with the safety, hope and opportunity of a quality education.

The needs are more pressing than ever. When ECW was founded in 2016 by The Rt. Hon. Gordon Brown, it was estimated that approximately 75 million crisis-impacted children required urgent education support. Today, that number has more than tripled to almost a quarter of a billion crisis-affected girls and boys.

“Education Cannot Wait and its strategic partners transform the lives of millions of girls and boys impacted by armed conflicts, forced displacement and climate-induced disasters. Our investment in their right to quality education is our shared responsibility and is the best investment towards economic resilience, global security and sustainable development,” said Kaag. “With continued, generous and expanded support of public and private sector donors, we can increase ECW’s remarkable results, which have already reached more than 11 million children. I thank The Rt. Hon. Gordon Brown for his visionary leadership in creating and leading ECW – from a start-up just a few years ago to the billion-dollar global fund it has become. I look forward to working with the High-Level Steering Group and the Director, along with the support of the Executive Committee to continue his legacy.”

Brown served as the Chair of ECW’s High-Level Steering Group from 2016 to 2024 and will continue his global advocacy through his ongoing role as the UN Special Envoy for Global Education.

“With her diverse and deep international experience and passion for the needs of crisis-affected children, refugees and displaced young people, Sigrid Kaag will be a brilliant Chair for the ongoing evolution of Education Cannot Wait,” Brown said.

“Under the strategic and visionary leadership of The Rt. Hon. Gordon Brown, Education Cannot Wait and our partners created a new vision to deliver quality education with humanitarian speed and development depth on the frontlines of the world’s humanitarian crises,” said ECW Director Yasmine Sherif. “We are delighted to welcome Sigrid Kaag as our new High-Level Steering Group Chair. Through her leadership, we will continue our efforts to reach millions of crisis-impacted girls and boys worldwide.”

Kaag’s appointment included a broad consultation, selection and approval process with senior United Nations leaders, including UN Secretary-General António Guterres, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell, and senior members of the ECW High-Level Steering Group.

ECW’s 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 – and works closely with ECW’s Director and Executive Committee.

Meanwhile, an organization named "Education Cannot Wait" also stated that every girl deserves safety, opportunity, and hope for education.

The group, Education Cannot Wait, posted on X that the start of a new academic year in Afghanistan has once again excluded girls above sixth grade from returning to the classroom. “Every girl — without exception — deserves safety, opportunity, education, and hope,” the organization wrote.

With Gaza in ruins, the war in Ukraine at a critical juncture, and millions of Africans facing starvation, global attention has understandably shifted away from the plight of Afghan girls denied their right to an education. Yet, amid the prevailing gloom over the state of the world’s most troubled regions, the Taliban’s ban on girls’ secondary education could be facing its biggest internal challenge yet.

Nowhere is the fight for the rights of girls and women more urgent than in Afghanistan, where the Taliban’s return to power in 2021 has led to egregious human rights violations, including the exclusion of girls from secondary education. Now, after yet another Afghan school year has begun without girls beyond sixth grade, a rift within the regime offers hope that the ban may be reversed in the near future.

Against this backdrop, Afghanistan is grappling with deepening economic and humanitarian crises that have pushed more than 25 million people – over half the population – into poverty. The exclusion of women and girls from the workforce has exacerbated these economic challenges, fueling the growing rebellion against Akhundzada’s extremist policies.