World's richest countries failing to help children affected by conflict
A new report from Save the Children accuses the world's richest countries of failing to help put an end to the devastating impact of conflict in 28 countries, leaving almost 40 million children facing a bleak future.
Thursday 12 April 2007
The world's richest countries are failing to help put an end to the devastating impact of conflict in 28 countries, leaving almost 40 million children facing a bleak future.
Last in Line, Last in School (PDF 500KB) reveals that the world's richest donors which pledge, despite pledging to ensure every child receives an education by 2015, are selecting more stable countries to receive aid for education over those affected by conflict.
Last week the UK announced over £150 million of aid for education, specifically targeted at countries affected by conflict. The announcement demonstrates that education for all can mean education for all - including children living in the hardest to reach places. However, without similar commitments from other donors, the Millennium Development Goal of primary education for all children by 2015 will not be reached.
In countries affected by conflict, schools can be destroyed, commandeered by armed forces or used as shelter and teachers may be killed or forced to flee. Children can be easy targets for recruitment into armed militia, exploited as cheap labour and are more vulnerable to trafficking and abuse. Education helps protect children during conflict and re-build countries in the aftermath, leaving countries better able to break the cycle of poverty and conflict.
The number of out-of-school primary aged children in the world has dramatically fallen from over 100 million to 77 million. Yet this drop has not been seen in countries affected by conflict, where 39 million children still remain without an education.
The report, Last in line, last in reveals:
- despite donor pledges twenty out of twenty-two donor countries have, to date, failed to contribute their fair share of funds to achieve education for every child by 2015
- France, Switzerland, Spain, Japan, US, Austria, Italy and Germany are the worst donors for committing their fair share of aid for education and for supporting education in countries affected by conflict
- donors turn a blind eye to providing aid for education in countries affected by conflict because they don't fit their criteria for funding
- donors give the least amount of aid for education to the countries most in need of it - conflict affected countries receive less than a fifth of global education aid, despite being home to more than half the worlds children missing out on education.
There is currently a $9 billion funding gap that donors need to fill if they are to meet their goal of giving every child the chance to go to school by 2015. At least half ($5.2 billion) must be targeted at the countries where it can make the biggest difference - those affected by conflict.
"Unless the amount of aid for education to conflict affected countries is drastically increased to bring it in line with both need as well as the amount given to more stable countries, the Millennium Development Goal of primary education for all will risk being rendered meaningless," said Katy Webley, Save the Children Head of Education.
Donors are reluctant to commit funds to countries that, as a result of conflict, are often lacking the basic infrastructure and education plans or strategies that donors demand before committing funds. Yet children in these countries still need to go to school, and this is the very mandate on which aid efforts must be focused.
Webley, continued: "Education is key to determining the prospects of children and their countries, but the Millennium Development Goal of getting every child into primary school by 2015 needs global action. The world's richest countries can and must work together to make this happen. Only then can we ensure a better future for children living in conflict-affected countries."
We are calling for:
- All donors to increase basic education aid to meet their fair share of the US$9 billion annual financing gap and to increase their commitments to conflict-affected countries, ensuring at least half of all new education aid commitments reach children in conflict affected countries.
