European Union Flag

Islamabad/Brussels, 8 May 2013 – The European Union has provided € 300,000 from its Nobel Peace Prize money to UNICEF to support its educational activities for children affected by a lack of security in parts of northwestern Pakistan. The agreement was formalised today in Islamabad, between Lars-Gunnar Wigemark, Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the European Union to Pakistan and Dan Rohrmann, UNICEF Representative in Pakistan.

Earlier this month, UNICEF attended a UNESCO-INEE organized symposium on Conflict-Sensitive Education – Why and How? in Paris with Ministers of Education from around the world. Conflict-Sensitive Education is a key component of UNICEF’s new four-year programme on Peacebuilding, Education and Advocacy, supported by the Government of the Netherlands. The “Learning for Peace” programme explores innovative ways to build sustainable peace through education in 14 countries around the world.

Ministers of Education from programme countries including Chad, Liberia and Uganda, as well as the Deputy Minister of Education from Sierra Leone and government representatives from the Democratic Republic of Congo joined the day-long discussion, highlighting gaps in funding and considering best practices to integrate conflict sensitive tools into education policies and programmes. For more on the symposium see the below webstory from our partners UNESCO and INEE. For more information on the PBEA programme visit: www.educationandtransition.org/pbea.

©UNHCR / H. Caux
Children from the Central African Republic, who were displaced by an attack on their village, attend class at a bush school near the Chadian border.

The challenges of providing quality education in conflict areas

Conflict-affected countries called for better strategies to ensure that conflict-prevention is integrated into education policies and programmes and that education is not overlooked by donors and humanitarians.

UNESCO recently welcomed Ministers of Education from Chad, Liberia, Mali, Palestine, and Uganda, as well as the Deputy Minister of Education from Sierra Leone and government representatives from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya, to talk about their experiences of providing quality education during and after a conflict. Together with numerous ambassadors and representatives from the Permanent Delegations to UNESCO, UN agencies, bilateral organizations, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, academia and civil society organizations, they participated in the symposium Conflict-Sensitive Education – Why and How?, supported by Comic Relief, the European Commission, UNICEF, and USAID.

©UNICEF/NYHQ2007-2756/Claudio Versiani
An indigenous girl holds a piece of chalk at the Xemanzana School in Salquil Grande, in the municipality of Ixcán, Guatemala.

Press Release

The study notes the progress made in education in the region and the ‘bottlenecks’ that still prevent the universalization of basic education

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, April 17, 2013 – The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Central American Educational and Cultural Coordination of Central American Integration System (CECC / SICA) launched today, in a joint effort, the report Finishing school in Central America: the pending challenges.

Finishing school is based on official statistics of the educational systems of the Central American countries, Belize and the Dominican Republic.

The results show the great progress that countries have made in enrollment: almost all children and adolescents between 8 and 11 years attend school, since education systems have attained universality for this age.

By Shimali Senanayake

NEW YORK, 11 April 2013 – Teaching children to make peace in the classroom, on the playground, at home and in their communities can have a lasting impact on children to live in a world free of violence and conflict, said Grace Akallo, activist, formerly associated with an armed group.

Ms. Akallo spoke to UNICEF Television after a recent meeting on ways to end violence against girls in school.

Linh, Marcela and Hakima, Plan International young delegates for the 57th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women, are passionate about promoting girls’ rights.

Learn more about the Commission on the Status of Women.

©UNICEF United States of America/2013/James
Plan International young delegate Hakima, 13, talks about gender equality in her home country, Uganda. Hakima is involved in projects involving disaster risk reduction, child protection and anti-violence initiatives.

By Chris Niles

NEW YORK, United States of America, 18 March 2013 – Three young women from quite different parts of the world, but with very similar goals, met at UNICEF House recently to talk about their passion for promoting girls’ rights.

Linh, 20, from Viet Nam, Marcela, 17, from El Salvador and Hakima, 13, from Uganda were in New York as Plan International young delegates for the 57th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women, held at United Nations Headquarters.

106 school children and four teachers injured in attack

Press Release

Baghdad, 13 March 2013 – The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) condemn the attack that took place on March 11 near Wlad secondary school in the town of Dibis in Kirkuk governorate, 290 kilometers north of Baghdad, Iraq.

“We condemn Monday’s attack in the strongest terms” said Mrs. Louise Haxthausen, UNESCO’s Representative in Iraq. “Attacks that affect schools are unacceptable; all schools are, and must remain, zones of peace.”

The blast waves and shrapnel caused by the bomb injured 106 students – 70 boys and 36 girls – all of whom were in class at the time of the explosion. Of the injured children: six are in critical condition with two remaining in a coma; 10 have fractures and significant bleeding; and 90 have minor lacerations and bruises. Four teachers were also severely injured in the blast.