Education Cannot Wait Welcomes Sigrid Kaag of The Netherlands as New Chair of its High-Level Steering Group

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. 

As the Chair, Kaag will serve as a champion and advocate to strengthen political will and increase global funding for education in emergencies and protracted crises as world leaders race to deliver on the promise of universal education outlined in the Pact for the Future and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

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. 

Kaag brings a wealth of experience in political, humanitarian and development affairs, as well as in diplomacy. In 2025, she was appointed by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres as the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, a.i. Kaag has just concluded her mandate as Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza, a role she held since 2024. She served as the first Deputy Prime Minister and first female Minister of Finance in the Dutch government starting in January 2022. Prior to this, she was Dutch Minister for Trade and Development Cooperation from October 2017 until May 2021, and Minister for Foreign Affairs until September 2021.

Kaag has held a wide range of senior positions in the United Nations system. From 2015 to 2017, she was the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, and from 2013 to 2015, she was Special Coordinator of the Joint Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the United Nations Mission in Syria. She served as Assistant Secretary-General with the United Nations Development Programme from 2010 to 2013 and as Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa with UNICEF in Jordan from 2007 to 2010. Prior to that, Kaag served in several senior positions with UNICEF, the International Organization for Migration, and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

Kaag holds a Master of Arts in Middle East Studies from the University of Exeter, a Master of Philosophy in International Relations from Oxford University and a Bachelor of Arts in Middle East Studies from the American University in Cairo.