Civil Society Organisations Call on the Italian Government to Pledge €15 Million in Funding for Education Cannot Wait Ahead of High-Level Financing Conference

An estimated 222 million crisis-affected children and youth around the world are in need of urgent education support. For them, education is nothing less than a lifeline that protects and offers them hope and the opportunity to thrive. 

The vast majority (84%) of out-of-school children and adolescents living in protracted crisis contexts are in 10 countries alone: Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Mali, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Yemen. 

A coalition of civil society organizations* in Italy has launched a campaign calling on the Italian Government to pledge at least €15 million to Education Cannot Wait (ECW) – the United Nations global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises – to improve access to schooling for children and adolescents in urgent need of educational support.

This campaign is being promoted ahead of the ECW High-Level Financing Conference on 16-17 February 2023 in Geneva, co-hosted by ECW and Switzerland and co-convened by Colombia, Germany, Niger, Norway and South Sudan.

The Conference offers a crucial opportunity for public donors, the private sector and high-net-worth individuals to make good on our global commitments on education for all by pledging new financial contributions towards ECW’s 2023-2026 Strategic Plan. Over the next four years, ECW aims to mobilize $1.5 billion to support 20 million crisis-affected children and adolescents – of which 12 million are girls – with inclusive quality education.

This is an opportunity for Italy to demonstrate its commitment to the education sector. Through contribution to ECW, the Italian government would show its dedication to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 to ensure quality, inclusive and equitable education for all boys and girls. 

The coalition stresses that “The right to education is a fundamental human right for every person without discrimination or exclusion…Italy can and must play a key role in education in emergency and in contexts of protracted crises.” 

Read the full Case for Investment here. 

*The coalition includes the Italy Global Campaign for Education, Children in Crisis, Oxfam Italia, Plan International, Save the Children Italia, WeWorld and more.