#YouPromised: Syria conference must keep pledge to get all refugees in school
Children in conflicts, Double-shift schools, Education in emergencies, Refugees and internally displaced people, Right to education
The international community will meet again聽a聽year after the promise was made - with more than half of the 1.7 million Syrian refugee children now in school.
World leaders will聽meet in Brussels this week to discuss how to support聽millions of people affected by the Syria conflict.
The co-hosts of the April 5聽conference聽say聽the talks “will reconfirm existing pledges” and look for other ways to help those inside Syria and聽in聽neighbouring countries.
One of the聽existing pledges is a promise to get every Syrian refugee child into school in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan.
Just over a year ago, at the Supporting Syria and the Region conference聽in London, leaders said they would make sure聽all refugees were聽back at school during the 2016-17 academic year.
So far more than half聽of those 1.7 million children are in classrooms and聽rewriting their futures in pencils and exercise books.
But the rest are not. They are still waiting to go聽to school.
Fulfilling that pledge聽must be a top priority for the Brussels conference – co-hosted by the European Union, Germany, Kuwait, Qatar, United Kingdom and United Nations.聽The co-hosts say they will “assess where the international community stands collectively in fulfilling commitments” made at the London conference in February 2016.
国产视频’s #YouPromised campaign has been pressing聽for months for the pledge to be kept – and for more聽transparency around the funding processes.
“There is currently no way of telling how much money has been committed for 2017, if it is being spent efficiently or when and how it will be delivered,” said聽Ben Hewitt, 国产视频’s Campaigns and Communications Director.聽
“This makes it impossible for national governments and partners on the ground to plan effectively or make sure we are seeing efficiencies and value for money in the response.聽
“As a result of a lack of reporting, there is no coherent strategy to ensure the funding is in place to get every Syrian child into school by the end of this academic year.聽
“Without the protection of the classroom, these children remain desperately vulnerable to child labour, trafficking and early marriage.”
The Brussels conference will be attended by 70聽delegations from the聽international community,聽UN, major donors, charities聽and other聽organisations.
Meanwhile,聽Lebanon’s prime minister has聽warned his country has reached “breaking point” by hosting more than one million Syrian refugees.
Saad Hariri said his country needs urgent聽investment.
“This issue has reached a breaking point for us in Lebanon.聽We want the international community to hear us and understand that Lebanon is facing a crisis,” Hariri said.
The prime minister said he would appeal at the Brussels conference for international investment to improve infrastructure, including schools.聽
Lebanon is home to 488,832 school-age Syrian refugees, of which 202,259 are enrolled in school, according to latest figures from the government in February.聽
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