In the News

Education Cannot Wait, the UN global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises, recently launched its Postcards from the Edge campaign to zoom in for a closer look. A postcard from 14-year-old Lucas from the Democratic Republic of the Congo sent a message to the UN Refugee Agency: “I ask world leaders and UNHCR to think of us refugee children and provide funding to let us finish our studies.” 

Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) pledged $20 million on Sunday to back the United Nations’ Education Cannot Wait (ECW) initiative, the Qatari entity announced. The ECW, a UN “global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises”, will deliver a 2023-2026 Strategic Plan aimed at benefiting 222 million children and adolescents affected by crises. 

In tutto il mondo, 222 milioni di bambini e adolescenti colpiti dagli orrori di guerre, disastri e sfollamenti hanno un disperato bisogno di imparare. In occasione di una Conferenza raccolta fondi ad alto livello a Ginevra, l’Italia ha annunciato un impegno di 2 milioni di euro per il 2023 a favore di Education Cannot Wait (ECW), il fondo globale delle Nazioni Unite per l’istruzione nelle emergenze e nelle crisi prolungate. 

This week, the United Nations education fund, Education Cannot Wait (ECW) conference has been drawing attention to the 222 million crisis-affected children throughout the world. The event builds on the momentum of the “222 Million Dreams” campaign – launched following an ECW report highlighting the shocking increase of children affected by the global crisis, from 75 million in 2016 to 222 million in 2022, an acceleration that is clearly a direct result of the Covid pandemic and wars, including the war in Ukraine that began a year ago, but also due to other factors like natural disasters and climate change.

World leaders announced over US$826 million to Education Cannot Wait and the global challenge to support the education of 222 million girls and boys living in crises.

Experts stressed the need to take immediate measures to recover the loss of learning during floods and develop a flood-resilient education system to prevent disruption to education in such calamities. This was stressed during the launch of the report on the post-floods education situation in Pakistan, “Towards a Resilient Education Recovery from Pakistan’s Floods – Rapid Response Research,” published by Pakistan Coalition for Education (PCE) in collaboration with Education Champion Network (ECN).

The Minister of Primary, Secondary and Technical Education of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tony Mwaba participates in the High Level Conference on the Financing of the initiative Education Without Delay (Education Cannot Wait) in Geneva this Thursday, February 16. World leaders took this opportunity to reaffirm their commitment to ensuring education for all.

Today, child delegates from Nigeria and Colombia told the world that climate change is ruining their childhood and the world must act now, for 222 million dreams are at stake. They were speaking at the Education Cannot Wait High-Level Financing Conference held in Geneva.

Today, child delegates from Nigeria and Colombia told the world that climate change is ruining their childhood and the world must act now, for 222 million dreams are at stake. They were speaking at the Education Cannot Wait High-Level Financing Conference held in Geneva.

Lending his support to a call for more funding for education in emergencies spearheaded by the UN global fund Education Cannot Wait (ECW) the UN chief insisted in a video message that no-one should be denied their chance to learn. A full 222 million children today experience blighted education today, Mr. Guterres noted. To help them, 18 countries and private partners have pledged $826 million for ECW, on the opening day of the landmark conference.

Somaya Faruqi is one of the lucky ones. She managed to escape from Afghanistan in August 2021, just as the Taliban overran the country’s capital. In support of this week’s Education Cannot Wait conference in Geneva and its call for learning support in emergencies, Somaya has been speaking to UN News’s Daniel Johnson. She strongly believes education can help change discriminatory views about girls, women and their place in society.

World leaders announced US$826 million to Education Cannot Wait (ECW) and the global challenge to support the education of 222 million crisis-affected girls and boys. These ground-breaking announcements were made at the ECW High-Level Financing Conference on 16-17 February in Geneva, Switzerland.