International Day to Protect Education from Attack
Attacks on education deprive students of their fundamental right to quality education and impede teachers’ ability to deliver it effectively. Unfortunately, such attacks on educational institutions, students, and teachers , especially in areas of armed conflict. Access to safe, quality, and inclusive education during crises serves as a crucial lifeline for learners and educators, providing them with lifesaving knowledge and skills and offering them hope for the future.
To highlight the urgent need to protect education from attack, the UN General Assembly adopted on May 28, 2020, establishing September 9 as the . This Resolution designates UNESCO and UNICEF as co-facilitators of the annual observance, providing an opportunity to raise awareness and encourage stakeholders to prioritize the protection of education and the provision of support for students, teachers, other education personnel, and education communities in conflict zones.
Education should never be a target
Exacerbated by multiple hazards, armed conflicts have devastating impacts on the education sector, often triggering a compounded crisis. Schools, universities and other educational institutions should always be safe havens and pathways to foster peace and development. During armed conflict, their civilian nature must be recognized and protected under international humanitarian law, which mandates adherence to the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution. further reinforces this protection by emphasizing the need to safeguard educational institutions from the impacts of armed conflict, and the also provides essential guidelines to protect education and provide a lifeline for children and young people. Other frameworks, such as the Comprehensive Safe School Framework (CSSF), support educational authorities and practitioners to address the root causes of conflict drivers. Considering all risks, the CSSF provides guidance on strengthening resilience for the provision of education to learners that face multiple hazards
2024 commemorations
In 2024, five years after the first commemoration of International Day to Protect Education from Attack, armed conflict continues to escalate globally and attacks on education remain pervasive. Between 2022 and 2023, the approximately 6,000 attacks on students, educators, schools, and higher education institutions. This period also saw a 20% increase in the use of educational facilities for military purposes by parties to conflict. Over 10,000 students were killed, abducted, arrested, or otherwise harmed during this time.
According to the , there was a 21% increase in grave violations against children in 2023 compared to the previous year, which include attacks on schools and protected persons in relation to schools.
Marking International Day to Protect Education from Attack in 2024, UNESCO took part in commemoration events in and .
What UNESCO does to protect education from attack
More on education in emergencies
What UNESCO does to ensure the right to education in emergencies and building resilience in the face of crisis.
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