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-World leaders announce $826 million pledges to Education Cannot Wait at high-level funding conference
Germany and the UK top the list of 17 donors as the UN Global Fund for Education in Emergencies expands its commitments to reach 20 million children over the next four years.
GENEVA, Feb. 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- World leaders announced $826 million for Education Cannot Wait (ECW) and the global challenge to support education for 222 million crisis-affected girls and boys.
These pioneering announcements were made at the ECW High-Level Financing Conference, held on February 16-17 in Geneva, Switzerland.
In all, 17 donors announced their commitments to ECW, including five contributions from new donors: the Global Business Coalition, Italy, Qatar, Spain and Zürcher Kantonalbank. Just over a month after the start of the new 2023-2026 Strategic Plan of the Multilateral Fund, these historic commitments already account for more than half of the 1.5 billion dollars needed to reach 20 million children and adolescents.
Around the world, 222 million children affected by conflict, climate change, forced displacement and other protracted crises are in dire need of quality education.
"There is no democracy without education. We must be able to count on well-educated future generations," declared Federal Councilor of the Swiss Confederation Ignazio Cassis.
Switzerland is co-hosting the High Level Financial Conference with ECW and the Governments of Colombia, Germany, Niger, Norway and South Sudan.
Germany remains the biggest donor to ECW. "Today's pledges will help give hope to millions of the most vulnerable young people. Germany already announced last year that it would support the Strategic Plan to help these children with 210 million euros over the next four years," said Svenja Schulze, Minister Federal Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany.
The UK provided the biggest new commitment of the day, announcing £80 million in new funding for ECW. "We renew our commitment to education in emergencies because we refuse to give up on the 222 million children and adolescents affected by the horrors of war, disaster and displacement," said the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Secretary, Andrew Mitchell.
Canada announced C$87.5 million in new funding during the high-level pledging session. "We will continue to work with our partners to help ensure that all children have access to quality education," said Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister for International Development.
"Even when we reach our goal of $1.5 billion, we won't stop there," said Education Cannot Wait CEO Yasmine Sherif. "With today's generous contributions, we will be able to reach 10 million crisis-affected children with a quality education. This is our investment in humanity."
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