EAA marks international day to protect education from attack

Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Education Above All (EAA) Foundation, attended the fifth observance of the International Day to Protect Education from Attack (IDPEA) Monday at Qatar National Convention Centre.

The event, organised by EAA was attended by heads of state, high-level dignitaries and UN representatives.

IDPEA was established through a resolution spearheaded by Qatar and Her Highness Sheikha Moza at the United Nations General Assembly in 2020. Supported by 62 countries, the resolution declared September 9 as the UN International Day to Protect Education from Attack.

This year’s observance, under the theme "Education in Peril: The Human Cost of War," featured a keynote address by Her Highness Sheikha Moza and a high-level panel discussion. A message from Antonio Gutrres, secretary general of the United Nations was read out on the occasion.

The panelilsts included: Ahmad Awad bin Mubarak, Prime Minister of Yemen; Fatima Maada Bio, first lady of Sierra Leone; Fatoumatta Bah-Barrow, first lady of The Gambia; Dr Wan Azizah binti Wan Ismail, spouse of the prime minister of Malaysia; Rosângela Lula da Silva, first lady of Brazil; Mirela Bećirović, first lady of Bosnia and Herzegovina; Philippa Karsera-Christodoulides, first lady of Cyprus; Dr Varsen Aghabekian, minister of state for foreign affairs and expatriates, Palestine; Saida Shavkatovna Mirziyoyeva, advisor to the president of Uzbekistan; Sara Beysolow Nyanti, minister of foreign affairs of Liberia and Virginia Gamba, UNSRSG for Children and Armed Conflict.

Her Highness Sheikha Moza in her address emphasised the destructive power of attacks on education, stating: “Education is the vessel that will carry children to a bright future. But attacks on education destroy the lives of teachers and students and leave nothing but emptiness, annihilating their future. There is no doubt that those who target education know what they are doing and do so with premeditation.” She went on to call for urgent global action to protect education from attack.

The event featured technical break-out sessions on critical topics such as How Culture Can Bridge Gaps, Mitigating the Human and Financial Toll of Conflict, and Justice and Rule of Law: Rights, Law, and Accountability. These sessions brought together government representatives from Nigeria, Malaysia, South Africa, Tajikistan, SDG advocates, youth from conflict-affected regions like Gaza, Sudan, and Yemen, and representatives from Unesco, Unicef, and OHCHR.

A high-level delegation visited the first Assalam School. Students from conflicted-affected countries whose education has been interrupted are able to continue learning at the school. It is supported by EAA Foundation, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education in Qatar, and other local partners. In partnership with the Al Fakhoora programme, vocational and entrepreneurship training are offered to older students. Disability accommodations and counselling are provided for the students to ensure their physical and emotional well-being.

According to the 2024 report by the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack, attacks on education have increased by 20% compared to previous years. In 2022 and 2023 alone, over 10,000 students and educators were killed, injured, abducted, or harmed in such attacks, with explosive weapons used in one-third of these incidents. Palestine, Sudan, Ukraine, Congo, and Myanmar are among the most affected countries.

Currently, more than 72 million children worldwide are out of school due to conflict, with 53% of them being girls and 17% facing functional difficulties, while 21% have been forcibly displaced. The ongoing attacks on education disrupt learning and have severe short- and long-term consequences for individuals and societies.
EAA's work is essential for defending against and preventing attacks on education. The observance of IDPEA is particularly pertinent to the advocacy efforts of Qatar, which champions global outreach with the aim of identifying, actioning, and committing to education.