UN GA Debate on Education in Emergencies.doc

UN GA Debate on Education in Emergencies
March 18th, 2009: PANEL II: HOW TO MAKE EDUCATION WORK - INVESTING IN LEARNERS,
INVESTING IN ESS
Dr. Brenda Haiplik, INEE Representative
There are 75 million children are out of school worldwide and more than half of them – 40 million – live in conflict-affected fragile states. In addition, on average 750,000 more children have their education disrupted or miss out entirely on education owing to humanitarian disasters each year. These figures should be a major source for global concern.
Why Invest in Education in Emergencies?
In the immediate aftermath of a disaster education can:
Help protect children from death or bodily harm
Impart critical lifesaving information on simple hygiene and health issues and/or on the dangers of unexploded ordinance
Children who are in school may be less vulnerable to being recruited into armed groups or being trafficked
Reduce the effects of trauma and offer children a sense of normality, structure and hope for the future
It is what children and their families demand.
Over the longer term, quality education can:
Be a critical ingredient in the reconstruction of post-conflict societies
Promote conflict resolution, tolerance and respect for human rights
Increase children’s earning potential, enable them to keep their families healthier and improve their ability to break out of the poverty cyc