Posted: 23 Sep 2012 05:27 PM PDT
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) will convene in New York City this week which means thousands of leaders from governments, international organizations and civil society will get together to discuss and deliberate important and urgent global issues and policies. This year, UNGA is particularly special for us because the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon is launching a new 5-year global initiative to reinvigorate global commitments to education. He calls this new initiative “Education First” and reiterates to the global community that education is “the single best investment countries can make towards building prosperous, healthy and equitable societies.”
We’ve been working behind the scenes for the last several months on the launch of this new Initiative with many partners including UNICEF, UNESCO, Brookings, INEE and others. We’re particularly excited that the three priority areas of the Initiative 1) put every child in school 2) improve the quality of learning, and 3) foster global citizenship align so closely with our own strategy. You can learn more about Education First on their new websiteglobaleducationfirst.org, Twitter account @UNedufirst, or Facebook page UN Education First.
While all three of these priority areas are at the core of GPE’s work, one of our main areas of focus for UNGA week will be to address the startling fact that more than 40% of all primary-aged out-of-school children live in countries scarred by war and conflict, as well as millions more struck by humanitarian emergencies such as flooding, food shortages, earthquakes and other disasters. We can all agree that a child’s education cannot wait for conflict and crisis to be resolved, so we believe now is the time to call for action and reinvigorate our efforts to put education first for children living in conflict areas.
Here is a preview of some big events where you’ll be hearing from us on this topic:
Monday, September 24:
We’re gathering a group of government, civil society and international development leaders to discuss the way forward to protect teachers, students and schools from attacks; ensure we’re planning and budgeting effectively for children whose education is affected by disasters and emergencies; and change the fact that education represents just 2% of total humanitarian aid. It’s all hands on deck for GPE at this event and you’ll hear more from us on Monday evening.
We’re gathering a group of government, civil society and international development leaders to discuss the way forward to protect teachers, students and schools from attacks; ensure we’re planning and budgeting effectively for children whose education is affected by disasters and emergencies; and change the fact that education represents just 2% of total humanitarian aid. It’s all hands on deck for GPE at this event and you’ll hear more from us on Monday evening.
Wednesday, September 26:
The UN Secretary-General is officially launching his Education First Initiative on Wednesday. The events will begin at 1:15pm with a press conference, followed by a panel discussion of education experts discussing barriers and opportunities for education, and will conclude as global leaders gather for an education-themed evening. Tune into UN Web TV to watch a live webcast of the afternoon events and follow us on Twitter @GPforEducation for real-time updates.
The UN Secretary-General is officially launching his Education First Initiative on Wednesday. The events will begin at 1:15pm with a press conference, followed by a panel discussion of education experts discussing barriers and opportunities for education, and will conclude as global leaders gather for an education-themed evening. Tune into UN Web TV to watch a live webcast of the afternoon events and follow us on Twitter @GPforEducation for real-time updates.
Saturday, September 29:
We’ve been working with the Global Poverty Project for the past several months on an exciting new project called the Global Citizen Festival, the largest syndicated charity concert in online and broadcast history, with a mission to help end extreme poverty. The festival will feature top artists including Neil Young with Crazy Horse, Foo Fighters, The Black Keys, K’Naan and Band of Horses on the Great Lawn of Central Park. Ninety percent of the 60,000 free tickets were won by people who joined and shared videos, stories and other content from festival partners including UNICEF, Pencils of Promise, Global Partnership for Education and many others on the new advocacy website globalcitizen.org. This concert will celebrate the progress already made in fighting extreme poverty, secure financial commitments for tackling global issues such as education and disease, and mobilize thousands of ambassadors for change.
We’ve been working with the Global Poverty Project for the past several months on an exciting new project called the Global Citizen Festival, the largest syndicated charity concert in online and broadcast history, with a mission to help end extreme poverty. The festival will feature top artists including Neil Young with Crazy Horse, Foo Fighters, The Black Keys, K’Naan and Band of Horses on the Great Lawn of Central Park. Ninety percent of the 60,000 free tickets were won by people who joined and shared videos, stories and other content from festival partners including UNICEF, Pencils of Promise, Global Partnership for Education and many others on the new advocacy website globalcitizen.org. This concert will celebrate the progress already made in fighting extreme poverty, secure financial commitments for tackling global issues such as education and disease, and mobilize thousands of ambassadors for change.
Be sure to watch the free concert at http://globalfestival.com/ and listen closely for a big announcement coming from the Global Partnership for Education.
Nenhum comentário:
Postar um comentário