More action needed as world faces greatest refugee crisis and growing education crisis

Doha – At today’s World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) in Doha, hosted and attended by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, the Chairperson of Education Above All Foundation, world leaders called for action to help young refugees and internally displaced youths. With more than 260 million children and adolescents not in school today, and only 1% of young refugees able to access higher education, the world will not achieve the Sustainable Development Goals if young people are denied quality educational opportunities.

Speaking in a keynote address at Education Above All Foundation’s high-level panel on “Asset over Burden – Education for Refugee Youth”, His Excellency, Mr. Nana Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana, Co-Chair of SDG Advocates said:

“The spectre of tens and tens of millions of young refugees growing up without the needed skills to create a meaningful life for themselves is a dangerous one. What do we expect them to do? What opportunities are available to them? How competitive can they be in this global economy? These are questions that must elicit a concerted and calculated response from the world’s leaders.

In my view, education, education and more education is the only way by which we can foster a sense of cohesion and solidarity amongst displaced persons, especially of those of school going age, and, help create for them, an enabling environment, which will spur them on to lead more purposeful and dignified lives.”

Speaking at the event, Christos Stylianides, European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management said: “Tens of millions of children are deprived of education. We cannot afford lost generations. No single child should be left behind. It is our moral duty to do more. This is why I will devote in 2018 8% of the EU’s humanitarian budget to education in emergencies.”

EAA Foundation signed several new partnerships at the event, as part of the Foundation’s commitment to address the global education crisis and its goal of enrolling 10 million out-of-school children. Launched in 2012 to enable human development through the provision of inclusive quality education, the Foundation has already committed to providing education opportunities to 7.3 million children worldwide.

The new partnerships will help:

• Over 3,000 Syrian and Palestinian refugees living in Turkey with full university scholarships, including tuition, accommodation, health insurance and a monthly stipend in partnership with SPARK and the Council of Higher Education in Turkey.
• 30 Palestinian junior teachers from Gaza to pursue graduate studies in the United Kingdom in partnership with the British Council.

Notes to Editors:

Event keynote speaker:

• His Excellency, Mr. Nana Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana, Co-Chair of SDG Advocates Panel speakers:
• Commissioner Christos Stylianides, European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management (Cyprus)
• Dr. Alaa Murabit, SDG Advocate – Health, Employment and economic growth (Canada)
• Mr. Kevin Murphy, President, ExxonMobil Foundation (USA)
• Mr. Allan E. Goodman, CEO and President, International Institute of Education (USA)
• Ms. Asmaa Fikree, Qatar Youth Advocate (Qatar)

About Education Above All Foundation (EAA)

The Education Above All Foundation (EAA) is a global education foundation established in 2012 by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser. The Foundation envisions bringing hope and real opportunity to the lives of impoverished and marginalized children, youth and women, especially in the developing world and in difficult circumstances such as conflict situations and natural disasters. It believes that education is the single most effective means of reducing poverty, generating economic growth and creating peaceful and just societies, as well as a fundamental right for all children and an essential condition to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The EAA Foundation aims to enable human development through the provision of inclusive quality education. To date, it has committed to providing education opportunities to 7.3 million children worldwide, with a goal of reaching 10 million. The Foundation is a current member of the UNESCO SDG-Education 2030 Steering Committee, which – in keeping with EAA Foundation’s core and founding principle – makes recommendations on how to achieve quality education for all. For more information, visit educationaboveall.org, follow us on Twitter (@EAA_Foundation), Facebook and Instagram (@educationaboveall_eaa).

Media contact:

Interviews available on request

For media enquiries, please contact:
Rosalind Goates, Portland Communications
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +44 7801531617