Armed conflicts and climate change around the world have profound and devastating impacts, creating a harsh reality for countless individuals, particularly women and children. Huge numbers from countries affected by conflicts and crises, such as the occupied Palestinian territories, Sudan, Libya, Syria, Yemen, and others, have been displaced and sought refuge.
In recent years, the world has experienced significant climate events, such as earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, and wildfires, causing widespread devastation and suffering. Countries like Syria, Turkiye, Morocco, the US, France, and others are examples. The first to suffer were children, who lost access to education and faced increasingly difficult living conditions. These challenges have placed the international community at a critical juncture, demanding solidarity to support, protect, and ensure that children receive the education they need.
In the context of addressing the challenges faced by children in areas of armed conflict around the world, and recognising the importance of supporting this vulnerable group, Qatar has consistently played a vital role. Based on its belief in the significance of this responsibility, Qatar has provided ongoing support to children worldwide, particularly Palestinian children, in order to ensure a safe and stable environment for children affected by wars, especially those in the occupied Palestinian territories.
To discuss the pivotal role of Qatar in this sector, HE the Permanent Representative to the UN Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif al-Thani met with Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, at the headquarters of the Permanent Mission in New York. Their discussions focused on Qatar’s pivotal role, in co-operation with the UN, in supporting children’s issues in areas of armed conflict worldwide.
Five years ago, Qatar launched a pioneering initiative in this field — the Peace Schools initiative, through the Education Above All Foundation. The initiative was designed to support students fleeing wars and conflicts from countries such as Sudan, Yemen, Syria, and Palestine, who stayed in Qatar. It aims to provide educational opportunities for both Arabic speakers and those speaking other languages.
The experience of these schools covered many students representing approximately 13 nationalities, including those who have been out of school for some time due to conflicts and have come to Qatar because of the wars. They undergo an assessment test to determine the most suitable classes for their needs. Additionally, students who are unable to pay tuition fees are received, with their cases carefully reviewed to ensure they have the opportunity to continue their education. Qatar views education as a key strategic tool for both regional and international co-operation, and the Education Above All Foundation implemented, through the ‘Educate a Child’ programme, projects with 82 global partners in 50 countries, and achieved its goal of helping more than 10mn of the most marginalized and out-of-school children, and obtainment of a good primary education.
According to the UN Education Cannot Wait Fund, the number of children in immediate need of education assistance has been estimated at 35mn children over the past three years, reaching 234mn by the end of 2024. The UN fund indicated that the escalation of conflicts and the impact of climate change increased the number of children in need of assistance in the field of education.
It is estimated that achieving the sustainable development goals for education in some countries requires providing $100bn in additional annual funding, especially in low-income countries. The fund and its international partners launched an appeal for additional funding worth $600mn to achieve the goals set out in the strategic plan that was adopted over four years.
The UN report states that more than 473mn children live in areas affected by conflicts, as the world witnesses the highest number of conflicts since World War II. The percentage of children living in conflict areas has doubled from about 10% in the 1990s to nearly 19% today.
According to child education experts, governments in developing countries are increasingly finding it difficult to finance essential investments for children, due to slow growth, high debt, and insufficient tax revenues and development aid.
Amid growing geopolitical rivalries and the paralysis of multilateral institutions, both governmental and non-governmental bodies seem to be increasingly willing to violate international laws designed to protect civilian populations by attacking civilian infrastructure such as schools and hospitals. The decline in efforts to protect civilians over decades is taking a heavy toll on children, not to mention the risks that threaten their lives and subject them to displacement, hunger, diseases and significant risks to their mental health.
The report indicates that children are disproportionately affected by climate change, and the impacts on their development, health, education and well-being could be permanent.
According to the UN report’s indicators, experts believe that the year 2025 presents crucial opportunities to achieve progress towards global climate goals. This requires comprehensive and strong policies, adequate and fair financing and investments, strong regulatory and accountability frameworks, and effective monitoring systems.
Several digital trends are expected to shape the future of the world in 2025 and beyond, and rapid developments in emerging technologies will continue to shape all aspects of children’s lives from education to communication and participation in the digital economy.
The annual Unicef global children’s report calls for a response to the growing need and a sustained effort to address the losses of recent years, as well as drawing attention to the serious consequences that the multilateral system is struggling to achieve, in order to respond effectively to the issues of children around the globe.
