‘Beyond School Books’ series moderator Amy Costello and UN Special Representative Radhika Coomaraswamy in a radio studio at the United Nations
© UNICEF/2007/Yeo

NEW YORK, USA, 22 October 2007 – In countries caught in a cycle of ongoing conflict, as well as those emerging from war, the rights of children and the right to education are most at risk.

Communities in these nations consistently rank education as a high priority for support during and after a crisis – demonstrating that education is an indispensable tool for social transformation.

Permanent Representative of Mexico to the UN Claude Heller (left), UN Special Representative Radhika Coomaraswamy, UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon sign ‘red hands’ petition.
© UNICEF/NYHQ2009-0105/Markisz

NEW YORK, USA, 13 February 2009 – Children from 101 countries have appealed to international leaders to take stronger action to end the use of child soldiers.

© UNICEF/NYHQ2008-1630/PirozziStudents listen to a lecture in a life-skills class in Keren Junior School in the city of Keren, Anseba Region

By Miriam Mareso

Halima, a shy 11-year-old, is among the first groups of children who have been enrolled in a new elementary school in Jengerjiba. A small village located 110 kilometres from the capital Asmara, Jengerjiba is dotted with mud huts and concrete houses. The closest primary school is more than 10 kilometres away, a distance which has long hampered access to primary education for many local children.

© UNICEF/NYHQ2008-0211/RasoamananaOn 20 February, high winds from Cyclone Ivan damaged the roof of a school in the rural commune of Vavatenina in the north-eastern district

MENABE REGION, Madagascar, 28 January 2009 – The southern part of Madagascar has been brutally affected by Cyclone Fanele, which hit the island in the early hours of 21 January. A recent World Health Organization assessment notes that over 20,500 people have been affected by Fanele and Tropical Storm Eric, which arrived on the 19th.

© UNICEF/HQ08-0467/HoltzUNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Mia Farrow greets students at Betoko Primary School in the conflict-affected northern town of Paoua, near the CAR-Chad border.

KAGA BANDORO-KABO, Central African Republic, 27 June 2008 – On a recent visit to the northern regions of CAR, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador witnessed first-hand how schools have begun to reopen, improving the lives of children affected by conflict here.

© UNICEF/NYHQ2008-0200/Susan Markisz

KHARTOUM/JUBA, Sudan, 22 May 2008 – UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Hilde Johnson has been in Sudan this week, reviewing the progress which has been made for children’s rights since the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005 that ended decades of civil war in most parts of the country.