The United Nations (UN)’s International Day to Protect Education from Attack is annually observed across the globe on 9th September to recognise the importance of raising awareness of the terrible need to preserve education and protect it from attack.
- The Day raises public awareness about the issue of attacks on schools, students, other education personnel, education communities, and teachers worldwide.
9th September 2024 marks the observance of the 5th International Day to Protect Education from Attack.
Significance:
i.The Day aims to increase awareness of the plight of millions of children living in countries affected by conflict.
ii.The Day emphasises the importance of safeguarding schools as places of protection and safety for students and educators and the need to keep education at the top of the public agenda.
Background:
i.On 28th May 2020, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/74/275, proclaiming the 9th of September of every year as the International Day to Protect Education from Attack.
- The resolution proclaiming the Day was presented by the State of Qatar and co-sponsored by 62 countries.
ii.This Resolution designates the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) as co-facilitators of the annual observance in close collaboration with partners within and outside the UN system.
iii.The first-ever International Day to Protect Education from Attack was observed on 9 September 2020.
Situation of Children and Armed Conflict:
i.The 2023 UN Secretary-General’s Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict reveals 32,990 grave violations, affecting 22,557 children.
ii.In 2023, violence against children in armed conflict reached extreme levels, with:
- A 21% overall increase in grave violations against children; and
- A 35% increase in the killing and maiming of children.
iii.Violations include abduction, recruitment, and attacks on schools, with significant incidents in Gaza, Burkina Faso, Congo, Myanmar (Burma), Sudan, Syria, and Ukraine.
- The most affected areas were Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), Congo, Myanmar, Somalia, Nigeria, and Sudan.
iv.The highest numbers of violations were the killing (5,301) and maiming (6,348) of 11,649 children.
v.It is followed by the recruitment and use of 8,655 children, 5,205 verified incidents of the denial of humanitarian access, and the abduction of 4,356 children.
vi.1,650 verified attacks on schools and hospitals in 2023 represent a broader pattern of violations against children in conflict zones.
Attacks on Education:
According to “Education under Attack 2024“, a global study of attacks on schools, universities, their students, and staff, in 2022 and 2023 by the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA):
i.Around 6,000 reported attacks on students, educators, schools, and universities.
ii.Attacks on education and military use increased by nearly 20% in 2022 and 2023 compared to the 2 previous years.
iii.Over 10,000 students and educators were reportedly killed, injured, abducted, arrested, or otherwise harmed by attacks on education in 2022 and 2023.
- The number of students, teachers, professors, and education staff killed or injured increased by over 10% compared to 2020 and 2021.
iv.In 2022 and 2023, the highest numbers of attacks on education were recorded in Palestine, Ukraine, Congo, and Myanmar.
- The highest numbers of people harmed or killed in attacks in 2022 and 2023 were in India, Pakistan, Palestine, and Afghanistan.
v.2 countries not included in the previous report are profiled in this one, Egypt and Kyrgyzstan.
Note: GCPEA is a unique inter-agency coalition formed in 2010, with UNESCO as its core member, to address the problem of targeted attacks on education during armed conflict.
Safe Schools Declaration (SSD):
i.In 2015, the governments of Norway and Argentina led a process among UN Member States to develop the Safe Schools Declaration (SSD).
- It is an inter-governmental political agreement dedicated to protecting education in armed conflict.
ii.It outlines a set of commitments to strengthen the protection of education from attack and restrict the use of schools and universities for military purposes.
iii.The Declaration was opened for countries to endorse at the 1st International Conference on Safe Schools in Oslo, Norway, in May 2015.
- To date, 120 states worldwide have joined this international political agreement.
2024 Event:
i.The 5th observance of the International Day to Protect Education from Attack was held on 9th September 2024, in Doha, Qatar.
- The event was organised by Education Above All (EAA) under the leadership of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of EAA, and UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Advocate.
- The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict (SRSG/CAAC), Virginia Gamba, participated in the event.
ii.The UNESCO also participated in commemoration events held in Doha and Geneva, Switzerland to mark the International Day to Protect Education from Attack 2024.
