Education in emergencies
Access to education is not only a fundamental right, but also lifesaving during times of crisis
The world is facing an alarming increase in the frequency, complexity, and scale of crises, including armed conflicts, climate disasters, public health emergencies, and economic shocks. These challenges often overlap — such as when conflicts erupt in areas already grappling with climate-related hazards — leading to compounded and protracted crises. Each crisis severely threatens the right to education, disrupting learning and frequently leaving children and youth without the vital lifeline that education provides.
As the lead UN agency for Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality Education, UNESCO plays a pivotal role in advancing education in emergencies. Prioritizing access to safe, inclusive, and equitable quality education is essential in humanitarian response, recovery, and resilience-building efforts, particularly for migrants, refugees, internally displaced persons, returnees, and host communities. UNESCO works to ensure education systems are prepared, resilient, and responsive when disasters strike, and that schools and learning institutions at all levels of education remain safe havens for students, teachers, and communities.
UNESCO’s education in emergency initiatives are implemented at multiple levels. Activities on the ground are primarily led by the Organization’s network of field offices, which frequently operate on the frontlines of crisis response. These efforts are further reinforced and supported at the global level, including through the coordination of the Section of Migration, Displacement, Education and Emergencies in the Education Sector at Headquarters.
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Protecting education from attack
Education should never be a target.
Attacks on educational institutions, students, and education personnel are occurring at an alarming rate globally, depriving learners of their right to quality education and impeding teachers’ ability to deliver it effectively. These attacks are often committed in contexts of armed conflict, which tend to be increasingly multi-faceted and protracted. UNESCO’s efforts to protect education from attack include enhancing data and monitoring, global advocacy, supporting access to education in conflict-affected countries, and strengthening education systems.
Addressing trauma through mental health and psychosocial support
UNESCO’s Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) initiatives aim to enhance the psychological and emotional well-being of individuals affected by crises, including armed conflict. These actions provide essential support to children, teachers, caregivers and communities, helping them cope with trauma and stress inflicted by conflict and other crises.
Enhancing data on education in emergencies
One of the key challenges facing education in crisis-affected countries is the lack of accurate, reliable and timely data, essential to drive effective, evidence-based education responses. UNESCO is working to improve the production, analysis, dissemination and utilization of education in emergencies data through better coordination, standardization and integration into institutional systems.
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