缅北禁地

Text as delivered*

I'll be quick because I know we are running behind on time. Escalating conflict across the African continent are severely affecting the educational opportunities of children, adolescents and young children. Young people with an estimated of 123 million school age children are impacted by the crisis, including 46 million who are out of school. Climate change has also not done us any justice, as it has added on to the conflicts and displacement and necessary investment in climate resilience as a crucial part of addressing educational deficit.

An unprecedented population displacement has resulted in a humanitarian crisis that disturbs educational systems, leading to school closures and a destruction of educational facilities. Ensuring access to quality education in crisis settings requires prioritizing investment and comprehensive approaches that spans emergency, that spans emergency response to long term recovery. Efforts to build resilience in educational system learning, disruptions in crisis often occurs against the backdrop of existing learning poverty, particularly acute in low and middle income countries, where an estimate of 70% of the 10 year old's cannot understand a simple written text.

In countries affected by fragility, violence and conflict, this rate rises. This rate rises to 90%. Inclusivity and equitable educational delivered through national system enables children and youth to learn and develop resilience, fostering peace, coexistence and contributing to society. Building strong and resilient educational systems requires mobilizing partners, strengthening domestic resource capacities, and enhancing national institutions. Strategic partnership between humanitarian and development actors, governments and the private sector are crucial for securing resources and applying innovative approaches to building crisis resilient educational systems.

The Covid 19 pandemic highlighted the insufficient preparedness of the educational system to ensure continuity of learning, with significant digital inequalities across Africa, sustaining and expanding alternative pathways for remote learning is essential to address future disruptions. The United Nations Secretary-General's New Agenda for peace and the African Union Agenda 2063 underscores the importance of education in addressing displacement and developing human capital through sustained investment.

Education is a key investment in breaking cycles of conflict, and supporting the development of a robust national educational system is fundamental to achieving long term peace and prosperity. So yes, you could have fragility anywhere, but when you invest in education, you have the opportunity to rise from it. I thank you for your kind attention.

*This text is an AI-generated transcript of the statement, which was obtained from an archived video recording of the event. It is not an official text of the statement.