Over US$400mil pledged to UN fund for education in crises

GENEVA: Countries pledged a collective US$405.8 million to support schooling for millions of crisis-affected children through the UN fund Education Cannot Wait (ECW), according to the organization. ECW Director Maysa Jalbout emphasized that education is a fundamental right for every child and stressed that it is not a luxury, but rather oxygen for children in crisis situations.

The fund aims to raise US$600 million for its work over the next four years, and the pledges announced Thursday account for 90% of this target, with a total of US$541.6 million already secured. With an estimated 258 million school-aged children and teens affected by conflicts and climate-related disasters worldwide, including 93 million who are completely out of school, ECW estimates that it will reach another 10 million children during the 2027-2030 period, with half of them being girls and including one million with disabilities.

Germany led the pledges with 100 million euros (US$113 million), followed by Britain's 80 million pounds (US$108 million) and Norway's 600 million kroner (US$65 million).