DOHA: The Education Above All Foundation (EAA) and partners UNICEF, UNESCO, Qatar Fund for Development and Save Our Future Now campaign, have launched #UniteToProtect, a global campaign that calls for the protection of education from attack.
The long-term aim is reducing the impunity for education-related violations of international law, and to ensure everyone’s right to safe, inclusive and equitable quality education.
EAA Head of Advocacy Mubarak Al Thani said: “The world is witnessing a disturbing trend of systemic and deliberate attacks being carried out on education. According to the Education Under Attack 2020 report, there have been more than 11,000 attacks on education in the last five years. In that same period, children have been forcibly abducted or recruited from their schools in at least 17 countries.”
He added: “The global community has responded with complacency and tolerance. EAA and its partners are committed to driving top-down and grassroots effort for the protection of education from attack.”
Accountability
Through evidence-based advocacy, awareness and empowering rights-holders, the #UniteToProtect campaign aims to ensure perpetrators are held accountable for their actions and attacks on education are not met with impunity.
The protection of education has remained an issue in policy-making platforms, with little to no involvement of the wider public or grassroots communities.
The campaign uses and merges a multiplicity of voices, stakeholders and platforms to flag and encourage dialogue to push forward the issue as a priority on the global agenda, highlighting how each role is key to ensuring decision-makers are protecting those most vulnerable or marginalised.
Destroying hope
“Attacks on education destroy the hopes and ambitions of generations of children and impact negatively on sustainable development, supporting peace and human rights,” said Dr Maleiha Malik, Executive Director of the Protect Education in Insecurity and Conflict (PEIC) Programme at EAA.
“The inaugural #UniteToProtect campaign and observance of 9 September comes amid a global pandemic, which has exacerbated existing inequities in education with over a billion learners out of school and 184 country-wide school closures. It is our responsibility to work towards reimagining and rebuilding an education system that is innovative and resilient, with protection and accountability as a cornerstone.”