Global Citizen Festival Germany announces ten million euros in new, additional funding to support Education Cannot Wait’s education response in Ukraine, bringing total contributions to 330 million euros
Press release 25 September 2022 | New York/Berlin – Russia’s war in Ukraine has severely impacted access to education for approximately seven million children. In response to that, the Government of Germany announced today ten million euros in new, additional funding to Education Cannot Wait at the Global Citizen Festival.
Germany is the largest donor to Education Cannot Wait, the United Nations global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises, with almost 330 million euros in total funding to date.
Svenja Schulze, Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development
Copyright© BPA/Steffen Kugler
“The international community urgently needs to increase its investments in education. Global Citizens, thank you for raising your voices to call for more support for Education Cannot Wait, so that all young people everywhere in the world will have access to quality education: this will enable us to end extreme poverty - now,” stated Svenja Schulze, Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany.
“Thank you, Germany! Your inspiring leadership and strong support has taken Education Cannot Wait to the next level. Education is the most crucial investment to make today, to build a more equal, prosperous, and peaceful future for all! Together we can deliver on our promise of quality education for crisis-affected children and youth, ensuring that all really means all,” said Yasmine Sherif, Director of Education Cannot Wait.
The new contribution connects to Education Cannot Wait’s First Emergency Response grants in Ukraine (External link). The current investments are managed by Save the Children (External link) and UNICEF (External link) and focus on protecting the wellbeing of Ukraine’s conflict-affected girls and boys, while also ensuring continuous access to education and psychosocial support.
Schools across Ukraine have been the target of repeated attacks throughout the seven-month war. Recent government reports indicate that as many as 2,300 educational institutions had been hit, and over 280 have been destroyed. Millions of refugees have fled into neighboring countries, straining resources, ripping families apart, and denying children and adolescents to their inherent human right to 12 years of quality education.
With the war in Ukraine, massive displacement in Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and Asia, the compounding impacts of the climate crisis, and global economic uncertainty, the world is facing a worsening global education crisis.
Shocking new analysis from ECW indicates that 222 million (External link) crisis-impacted girls and boys are in need of urgent education support – up from previous estimates of 75 million in 2016.
In response to the global education crisis, ECW launched its Case for Investment (External link) and 2023-2026 Strategic Plan (External link) during this year’s United Nations General Assembly. To make good on promises outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals (especially SDG4 – Education For All), Safe Schools Declaration and other international accords, the Fund is rallying donors and strategic partners to mobilize 1.5 billion US dollars in funding to reach at least 20 million crisis-impacted children and adolescents over the next four years through its #222MillionDreams (External link) campaign.
Education Cannot Wait’s High-Level Financing Conference will take place in Geneva in February 2023. Hosted by Switzerland and Education Cannot Wait – and co-convened by Germany, Niger, Norway and South Sudan – through the 222 Million Dreams (External link) campaign, the conference calls on government donors, private sector, foundations and high-net-worth individuals to turn commitments into action by making substantive funding contributions to ECW.
Further information at www.educationcannotwait.org (External link)