The Geneva Global Hub for Education in Emergencies (EiE Hub) is dedicated to expanding partnerships to shape global discussions, impact policymaking, and drive systemic change, aiming to address the educational needs of children and youth affected by crises and displacement. In support of these initiatives, Education Cannot Wait (ECW) has awarded a US$600,000 grant to the EiE Hub.
The 30-month Acceleration Facility grant will leverage the EiE Hub’s role as a convenor and its diverse network to enhance global coordination and cross-sectoral collaboration. It will promote knowledge-sharing and guide policy-making by generating crucial data and global public goods on key topics, including climate change, financing data, legal protections for education under International Humanitarian Law, and the implementation of the Safe Schools Declaration, in close partnership with the International Committee of the Red Cross.
“The EiE Hub brings together a unique alliance of global members from UN agencies, civil society organizations, academic institutions, government and foundations working together to achieve common goals. ECW has been a proud partner of the EiE Hub since 2021. Together, we remain committed to realizing a world where crisis-affected girls and boys can learn in safety and without fear. Leveraging the EiE Hub’s strategic efforts to inspire, convene, advocate and catalyze joint action, this continued partnership will bolster our collective work to promote inclusive approaches and advance essential global public goods for education in emergencies and protracted crises,” said Yasmine Sherif, Executive Director of Education Cannot Wait, the global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises within the United Nations.
The EiE Hub is both a physical and virtual platform that fosters collaborative efforts among its 52 global members, including ECW, the Global Education Cluster, the Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies, and others. It is essential in uniting stakeholders, promoting a unified voice, and bridging gaps between education and other sectors like climate, environment, and human rights.
“ECW is one of the original founders of the EiE Hub and a central partner. Despite a deepening need to support the right to quality education for millions of crisis-affected children and youth, humanitarian budgets are tightening worldwide and education remains one of the most under-prioritized sectors. This ECW grant is critical to fully harness the EiE Hub’s potential to support the collective power of people acting together, to promote policy dialogue and partnerships, and to inspire political and financial support to ensure safe, quality education for children and youth affected by crises and displacement. It will enable the EiE Hub to facilitate effective collaboration and innovation among diverse stakeholders, ensuring lasting impacts on education for crisis-affected and displaced children and youth,” said Petra Heusser, Executive Director of the EiE Hub.
This new partnership will not only strengthen the EiE Hub’s position and role within the broader sector but will also advance ECW’s strategic learning agenda, which includes enhancing and increasing financing, improving coordination, and gathering data and evidence for education in emergencies and protracted crises. The ultimate aim is to provide the necessary platforms, resources, knowledge, and partnerships to tackle the global learning crisis. This grant is timely, as a recent analysis by the EiE Hub reveals a 4% decrease in humanitarian funding for education in emergencies in 2023, following a decade of consistent growth.
