In the News

These are real examples of some of the 44 countries and contexts in which ECW invests financial resources towards a holistic quality education, safe learning environments and school meals.

As many will know, Education Cannot Wait is a global platform in the UN system, hosted by UNICEF.

ECW is able to deliver with speed because it is a catalyst that brings together partners who operate with the same level of commitment, energy and determination.

When annual military expenditures worldwide stand at US$2.4 trillion, there is no justification whatsoever to fail in investing a minimum of US$570 million for Education Cannot Wait to support lifesaving and life-sustaining education for children enduring the brunt of man-made and climate crises; as well as to invest substantive financial resources to our sister-funds, such as the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and the International Finance Facility for Education (IFFEd).

As our ongoing analysis and research at Education Cannot Wait indicates, the number of children in emergencies and protracted crises – who are denied or deprived an education – is getting closer to a quarter of a billion children and adolescents. We can prevent this.

This leads me to the founder and outgoing High-Level Steering Group Chair of Education Cannot Wait, The Rt. Hon. Gordon Brown, the UN Special Envoy for Global Education. He had a vision that led to the creation of Education Cannot Wait.

With this, on behalf of the whole Education Cannot Wait family, I wish you Happy Holidays. May 2025 be a brighter year.

Bennett, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights for Afghanistan, said in an interview with "Education Cannot Wait" on Wednesday that the systematic exclusion of women from life has irreparable consequences for Afghan society.

The Taliban’s prohibition on education for girls beyond the sixth grade has created a crisis of gender-based violence, forced marriages, and a sharp rise in mental health issues, Richard Bennett, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Afghanistan, said in an interview with Education Cannot Wait.

Despite the ban, informal and alternative educational pathways are emerging, offering hope to Afghan girls. Bennett emphasized the importance of sustained donor support for organizations like Education Cannot Wait, which provide critical educational opportunities and psychological support.

In response to these multiplying crises, Education Cannot Wait ( ECW ) and its strategic partners announced today a US$20 million grant that will extend the Fund’s Multi-Year Resilience Programme in Chad, reaching approximately 66,000 crisis-affected children and adolescents.

The grant will be delivered by UNICEF in coordination with the Government of Chad and a number of national and international partners. ECW funding in Chad now tops US$61 million and has reached over 880,000 children with the safety, hope and opportunity that only a quality education can provide.

ECW’s catalytic grant represents a significant contribution to the Humanitarian Response Plan in Chad, which calls for US$28.2 million toward education. Overall, 50% of the humanitarian appeal remains unmet.

A joint high-level mission to Ethiopia by Education Cannot Wait (ECW) Global Champion and Danish Minister of Finance Nicolai Wammen and ECW Executive Director Yasmine Sherif, highlighted both the scale of the crisis and the transformative potential of targeted interventions.

ECW’s high-level delegation travelled to the Tigray region, which is recovering from a 3-year conflict that brought education to a complete halt. The delegation visited schools benefitting from funding by ECW and strategic partners, and met children, parents and teachers.

One school saw a 20% increase in enrollment thanks to ECW’s comprehensive support package, which includes school rehabilitation, teacher training, mental health and psychosocial support, and gender-transformative initiatives.

“It is heartwarming to witness the life-transforming power of quality education in the most complex crisis situations. I met strong and resilient girls and boys who are returning to learning, healing and thriving thanks to ECW’s support. However, conflicts, climate change and other crises continue to push millions of children out of school every year – in Ethiopia and beyond. Business as usual will not meet this challenge,” said Mr Wammen.

To date, ECW has invested over $93 million in Ethiopia, reaching more than 550,000 children and adolescents. During the mission, ECW announced a new $5 million First Emergency Response (FER) grant to address urgent education needs in the Oromia and Afar regions, which have been further destabilised by renewed violence and displacement. 

During a high-level event at the Education Cannot Wait High-Level Financing Conference in February 2023, parliamentarians from a wide range of countries formally adopted the Geneva Declaration on Education in Emergencies and Protracted Crises.

The visit by ECW’s high-level delegation sheds a much-needed spotlight on the education crisis in Ethiopia. It also serves as a reminder of the resilience and determination of the country’s children and you people, who see education as a path to a brighter future.

In his recent interview with Education Cannot Wait, Bennett said that the Taliban’s ban on education for girls beyond sixth grade has a devastating impact on both Afghan girls and Afghan society as a whole.

In 2024, UNICEF has received generous funding support from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the European Commission’s Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations Department (DG ECHO), the Government of France, the German Federal Foreign Office, the Government of Japan, the Government of Norway, the Government of the Republic of Korea, the Royal Thai Government, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), the Country-Based Pooled Fund (CBPF), the Education Cannot Wait Fund, the Australian Committee for UNICEF, the Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF, and internal allocations from global and regional humanitarian thematic funding.

Les initiatives mondiales en matière d'éducation (comme Education Cannot Wait) visent à répondre aux besoins éducatifs des enfants dans les zones de conflit en fournissant des fonds, des ressources et un soutien pour assurer la poursuite de leur apprentissage.

Anfal Saquib, first emergency response manager from Education Cannot Wait (ECW) spoke about the devastating impact of climate change on education. Over 400 million students have faced school closures due to extreme weather since 2022

Tatiana Villegas resaltó también los logros alcanzados en la inclusión educativa en contextos de emergencia, destacando el impacto positivo del Programa Multianual de Resiliencia (MYRP), que benefició a más de 214,000 niños y familias en situación de vulnerabilidad. Este programa, financiado por Education Cannot Wait y el Gobierno de Canadá, es un ejemplo del compromiso de Ecuador con la educación inclusiva y su capacidad para afrontar desafíos globales como la movilidad humana y los desastres naturales.

A total of 47 projects were implemented across Iraq. Highlights include an economic empowerment initiative for conflict-affected youth and our combined protection and education project made possible by the United Nations’ billion-dollar fund, Education Cannot Wait. The latter, a two-year project which commenced in February 2022 and ended in June 2024, set out to make education more accessible to children affected by the humanitarian crisis. Activities took place in the Fallujah and Ramadi districts west of Baghdad. The project—which reached a total of 1400 children from start to finish—also included a strong protection and mental health component to ensure a holistic care package.

To address these growing needs, Education Cannot Wait (ECW) and its strategic partners announced today a strategic Acceleration Facility Grant of US$ 2.6 million to UNHCR – the UN Refugee Agency – to accelerate refugee inclusion in national education systems in both emergency and protracted contexts.

With partners like Education Cannot Wait, the UK is supporting children to access education, especially in times of crisis.

“Together with UNHCR and our strategic partners, ECW stands by our shared commitment made at the Global Refugee Forum. We must ensure that every refugee child is enrolled in the national system and actually learns. This new grant – including the generous contribution from FCDO – turns our commitment into action,” said Yasmine Sherif, Executive Director of Education Cannot Wait, the global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises in the United Nations.

“This grant is a powerful example of how we are turning the Global Compact on Refugees into action by coordinating emergency responses and working closely with governments on the inclusion of refugees into national education systems. Our collaboration with ECW strengthens this effort, and we are excited to build a solid foundation of knowledge on how donors and states can partner to ensure refugee children have sustained access to quality education, both in times of crisis and beyond,” said Sajjad Malik, Director of the Division of Resilience and Solutions, UNHCR.

In line with the commitments in the Global Compact on Refugees, ECW and UNHCR support the inclusion of refugees in national education systems as this offers opportunities for certification, progress from one level of learning to the next and avoids the risks of reliance on short-term, externally funded education provision.

The new grant builds on ECW’s long-standing collaboration with UNHCR.

This work builds on ECW’s previous investments in strengthening education response coordination in emergencies.