In the News

“Together with our partners, we have launched a pilot program in Somalia and Afghanistan, working with communities to identify early action activities or anticipatory action to act against the impacts of climate and minimize its disruption on children’s lives and education in those countries,” says Dianah Nelson, Chief of Education, Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises within the United Nations.

Towards embedding education into the climate finance debate, ECW held a series of COP29 side events on such issues as unlocking the potential of anticipatory action through multi-stakeholder collaboration; meeting the challenge of conflict, climate and education; climate change-resilient education systems in the most vulnerable nations; and protecting children’s futures: why loss and damage must prioritise education in emergencies.

At COP29, ECW reiterated the power of education to unite communities, build consensus, and transform entire societies.

ECW says the connection between climate action and education is also noticeably underrepresented in NDCs, or national commitments to adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change.

"ECW’s disaster-resilient classrooms, for instance, boosted enrollment rates in Chad.”

Amid Chad’s multidimensional challenges compounded by climate change, climate-resilient classrooms whose construction was funded by ECW and completed in March 2022 meant that classrooms were more durable and accessible for children and adolescents with disabilities.

Accordingly, ECW says a key step is increasing access to the main climate funds—including the Global Environment Facility and Green Climate Fund—and activating new innovative financing modalities to deliver with speed, depth, and impact, and that the funding needs to be faster, transparent, and fully coordinated across both humanitarian and development sectors.

Looking forward to COP30 in Brazil, ECW stressed that education must play an integral role in the new Loss and Damage Fund.

The program is delivered through a $2 million First Emergency Response grant from Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises hosted by UNICEF.

“The climate crisis is upending development gains and putting an entire generation at risk.”Yasmin Sherif, Education Cannot Wait Executive Director. ECW and its strategic partners including UNICEF are turbocharging efforts to connect the dots between climate action and education action.

“The climate crisis is upending development gains and putting an entire generation at risk. The very future of the human race is in the crosshairs. Last year was the warmest year on record, and devastating floods and prolonged drought in places like the Horn of Africa contributed to a rise in global food insecurity and displacement, while also straining household finances,” says Yasmine Sherif, Executive Director of Education Cannot Wait.

Getting girls and boys like Mohamed back to learning is a challenge. Through the ECW investment, local partners are sensitizing communities and families on the value of education. By providing holistic education support – which includes cash incentives, mentorship and quality learning environments – they create a value proposition to get children back to the classroom.

Power Our Planet’s coalition of supporters also includes leading social movements, foundations and nonprofit organzations including Education Cannot Wait, the global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises in the United Nations. 

Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the first global fund dedicated to education in emergencies, says COP29 is an unmissable opportunity to chart a financial path to education for climate-affected children. The prevailing lack of financing and climate-related interventions designed for education in emergencies and protracted crises will only derail climate action," Graham Lang, ECW's Deputy Director, told IPS. Dianah Nelson, ECW's Chief of Education, spoke to IPS about how underinvesting in education creates a knowledge gap in green skills and that this is a missed opportunity in the context of using education to accelerate the efficient and effective implementation of climate action. And raise a generation of young learners on the frontlines of climate action. ECW is advocating for simpler funding and fund disbursement processes as they are the only lifelong for climate-impacted children in vulnerable, high-risk countries.

As the reopening of schools becomes a priority amid these dire circumstances, UNICEF — supported by the European Union, Education Cannot Wait and UNICEF regular resources — continues to provide critical education supplies.

Education Cannot Wait will receive support to provide safe learning spaces and psychosocial support for 200,000 vulnerable children in refugee and host communities in Chad, Ethiopia, Libya, South Sudan, Central African Republic and Uganda.

Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the first global fund dedicated to education in emergencies, says COP29 is an unmissable opportunity to chart a financial path to education for climate-affected children.

The prevailing lack of financing and climate-related interventions designed for education in emergencies and protracted crises will only derail climate action,” Graham Lang, ECW’s Deputy Director, told IPS.

Dianah Nelson, ECW’s Chief of Education, spoke to IPS about how underinvesting in education creates a knowledge gap in green skills and that this is a missed opportunity in the context of using education to accelerate the efficient and effective implementation of climate action. And raise a generation of young learners on the frontlines of climate action.

ECW is advocating for simpler funding and fund disbursement processes as they are the only lifelong for climate-impacted children in vulnerable, high-risk countries.

Education Cannot Wait: Providing safe learning spaces for 200,000 children in Chad, South Sudan, and nearby regions.

At this year’s Climate Talks in Baku (COP29), Education Cannot Wait called on world leaders to place education at the top of the international agenda.

Venezuela, como Afganistán, Yemen y Sudán, cuentan como países frágiles, donde nuestra inversión en educación entre 2021 y 2027 será de 3.200 millones de euros. En estos países, estamos focalizados en necesidades básicas: salud, educación, seguridad alimentaria. No podríamos trabajar allí con Global Gateway, no podemos atraer inversión privada. A través de organizaciones internacionales como Education cannot wait, de la ONU, trabajamos en Colombia, Ecuador y Perú para permitir a los menores refugiados venezolanos acceder a la educación. 

New ECW investment will be delivered by UNHCR, Jesuit Refugee Service and strategic partners to reach 70,000 refugee and host community students. Total ECW funding in Chad tops US$46 million. With millions of people fleeing the brutal conflict, hunger and atrocities in Sudan, the education system in the neighboring state of Chad is reaching the breaking point. Since April 2023, over 629,000 refugees have entered the country, along with over 200,000 Chadian returnees. In response to the growing regional crisis, Education Cannot Wait (ECW) and its strategic partners announced today a US$5 million First Emergency Response grant that will reach over 70,000 refugee and host community children in Chad with the safety and opportunity that only a quality education can provide. The 2024 Sudan Emergency: Regional Refugee Response Plan for Chad is only 23% funded. As of 12 August, education partners had secured only 15% of the US$51.2 million needed to support interventions this year. “Some 144,000 Sudanese refugees have arrived in Chad from Sudan in 2024 alone. The Government of Chad graciously welcomes refugee students into the national education system and works tirelessly with UNHCR and the Jesuit Refugee Service, as well as their partners, to deliver a quality education that also addresses the enormous need for mental health and psychosocial service, teacher training, school feeding and academic learning. With our increased support, we stand firm by our shared commitment at the Global Refugee Forum: not to leave refugees, nor their host-communities behind,” said Yasmine Sherif, Executive Director of Education Cannot Wait, the global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises in the United Nations. With escalating violence and a looming famine, the war in Sudan is creating ripple effects across the region. The situation in Chad is critical. About 144,000 refugees have arrived in 2024 alone, with some projections indicating as many as a quarter million could arrive by the end of the year. In new settlements, there are as many as 370 students per classroom. Many of the children have also lived through the severe trauma of displacement, war and hunger, and require urgent mental health and psychosocial support. The 12-month grant will be delivered by UNHCR and Jesuit Refugee Service in the Eastern Chad regions of Ouaddaï, Sila, Wadi-Fira and Ennedi Est. Delivered in coordination with the Government of Chad and local partners, the investment builds on ECW’s US$41 million in existing investments in Chad, which have already reached close to 900,000 children, including 150,000 internally displaced children and 230,000 refugees. With regard to education in emergencies, particularly due to the massive influx of Sudanese refugees in the eastern part of the country, vulnerabilities are significantly increasing. With support from our technical and financial partners, the Government — especially with the announcement of new First Emergency Response funding from Education Cannot Wait — will assist those affected by the crisis. Furthermore, the Ministry would like to once again express its gratitude to the donors who continue to support the Government’s efforts to provide education in emergencies in Chad, particularly in response to the crisis in the east,” said Mr. Mamadou Gana Boukar, Chad’s Minister of National Education and Civic Promotion. The investment has a strong focus on girls and children with disabilities, and will work to improve access to inclusive education, improve the quality of the learning environment, and strengthen the national education system and local community educational initiatives. 

Key donors such as the World Bank (through their Early Learning Partnership), the International Finance Facility for Education, Education Cannot Wait, and the Global Partnership for Education verbally made additional commitments at UNGA to increase their financial support for young children, particularly in early childhood education.

This included stakeholders such as the World Health Organization, Education Cannot Wait, and more. Crucially, youth activists committed to gender equity and climate change now see ECD investment as a critical driver of change.