GCE Mobilises for GAWE 2022

The Global Campaign for Education mobilises for Global Action Week for Education (GAWE) 2022 

A call to Protect Education in Emergencies Now! 

25-29 April 2022

Attention: All media houses

For immediate release: 20 April 2022

#ProtectEiENow #GAWE2022 

Conflicts, climate and environmental disasters and public health emergencies have a devastating impact on the right to education of millions of learners. Prior to the Covid19 pandemic, the world was already facing formidable challenges in fulfilling the human right to education, an estimated 35 million children around the world were forcibly displaced and nearly half of school-age refugee children were out of school [1]. 

The Global Campaign for Education (GCE) mobilises for the Global Action Week for Education (GAWE) 2022, a key moment for education activists all over the world. More than 100 countries, hundreds of local, national and international civil society organisations and millions of people from all corners of the globe, join together to defend and advocate for the right to inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong opportunities for all, and contribute to achieving the SDG4. 

This year, #GAWE2022 is more important than ever; The GCE calls on states, world leaders and the international community to Protect Education in Emergencies Now!. There are devastating examples of how the right to education of millions of people is being violated in emergency contexts in every corner of the world. The most recent is the deliberate attacks on education facilities in Ukraine, however, there are many more that have been going on for years.  

Yemen is still impacted by almost 8 years of war which has left approximately 8.1 million school-aged girls and boys in need of education[2], it remains the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. Meanwhile in Ethiopia, 2.7 million school-aged children are out of school, with 240 schools being used to shelter displaced families and another 2,500 schools completely or partially damaged[3]. In Bangladesh, 78% of youth report that their education is being affected by climate change, from dropout of school-related to flooding (25%), to impacting the journey to school (23%)[4].

These crises are worsening by the minute and children in emergency-stricken regions need our voice!

A Week of Action! 

Each day of the GAWE will see a different regional policy dialogue, focusing on education in emergency contexts. On the last day of GAWE, the GCE Secretariat will host a high-level global event on education in emergency contexts focusing on learning in displacement. 

The following events will take place as follows: 

Monday, 25th April 2022: The Arab region will launch GAWE 2022, in A Regional Policy Dialogue on Education in Emergencies hosted by the Arab Campaign for Education for All. The event will commence at 14h00 Palestine Time / 15h00 CET. Registration link: https://bit.ly/GAWEACEA 

Tuesday, 26th April 2022: The Latin America region will host their GAWE dialogue on Education in Emergency Contexts in Latin America and The Caribbean: Gender, debt, digitalization hosted by the Latin American Campaign for the Right to Education. The event will commence at 11h00 Brazil Time/ 16h00 CET. Registration link: https://bit.ly/GAWECLADE 

Wednesday, 27th April 2022: The Asia-Pacific region will host their GAWE dialogue titled Protect Education in Emergencies Now: An Asia-Pacific Regional dialogue hosted by the Asia South Pacific Association for Basic and Adult Education (ASPBAE). The event will commence at 13h00 Manilla Time / 7h00 CET. Event link:  https://bit.ly/aspbaegawe 

Thursday, 28th April 2022: The African region will host their GAWE Regional Policy Dialogue on Education in Emergencies in Africa led by the African National Campaign for Education for All (ANCEFA). The event will commence at 8h00 EST / 12h00 GMT / 14H00 CET. Registration Link: https://bit.ly/GAWEANCEFA 

Friday, 30th April 2022: The Global GAWE policy dialogue will be led by GCE Secretariat partnered with Jesuit Refugee Services will focus on Equitable Access to Learning in Displacement: Taking Action Against Discrimination and Marginalisation. The event will commence at 8h00 EST / 14h00 CET / 20h00 Manila Time. Registration Link: https://bit.ly/GAWEGLOBAL 

The Call to Action: 

The Global Campaign for Education calls on States to Protect Education in Emergencies Now!, including by: 

• Protecting education from attacks, and adhering to and complying with the Safe Schools Declaration, adopted in 2015. 
• Providing safe and accessible learning environments for all learners in emergency contexts, without any discrimination based on gender, disability, race, ethnic origin or any other factor.
• Developing and implementing crisis-sensitive national education plans and budgets, and promoting the equitable and sustainable inclusion of refugees, asylum seekers, returnees, and stateless and internally displaced persons in national education systems. 
• Guaranteeing that teachers are protected, adequately trained and remunerated
• Promoting an education that is truly transformative and a foundation for peace.
• Listening to the voices of the people affected by emergencies – civil society organisations, communities, families, teachers – who are the first responders in these situations. Their experiences, perspectives and stories count, and they must receive full consideration in education plans and policies. 

About Global Campaign for Education (GCE) 

GCE is a leading civil society movement that promotes and defends education as a fundamental human right. GCE has over 127 members, 94 of these are national education coalitions, 18 International NGOs and 15 regional networks and youth-led organisations. GCE advocates for education as a basic right. GCE defines education as the foundation for all forms of development and as a catalyst for growth. As a transnational organisation, GCE believes that education is the key to ensuring sustainable and equitable economic growth, improved health and social development. 

For more information, contact: 

Philani Ndebele, Communication Officer (GCE), pThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +27 11 447 4111
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1. https://www.unicef.org/education/emergencies#:~:text=UNICEF-,A%20lifeline,health%20care%20and%20hygiene%20supplies.
2. https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/education-cannot-wait-announces-us17-million-grant-first-emergency-response-yemen 
3. https://www.unicefusa.org/stories/ethiopia-conflict-rages-children-pay-highest-price/39351?ms=Social_SOC_2021_GeneralSocial_20211220_TwitterUnicefusa_TigrayChildrensCrisisWebStory_none_none&initialms=Social_SOC_2021_GeneralSocial_20211220_TwitterUnicefusa_TigrayChildrensCrisisWebStory_none_none 
4. https://www.unicef.org/rosa/reports/rising-challenge-0