4 February 2015
Arab States Adopt Regional Recommendations on Education in Times of Conflict
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Education ministers in the Arab region agreed to build effective channels for regional cooperation and called for education provision in conflict-affected countries, at the close of a conference on education in the post-2015 era.

UNESCO29 January 2015: Education ministers in the Arab region have agreed to build effective channels for regional cooperation and called for education provision in conflict-affected countries. The agreement was reached during a conference on education in the post-2015 era, and was incorporated into the ‘Sharm El Sheikh Statement.’

Through the statement released at the close of the conference, ministers and other education leaders pledge to establish mechanisms to finance education, possibly through public-private partnerships, and promote education access for girls. They recognize the central importance of equity and quality in education, and the role of education in building tolerant and peaceful societies. They call on UNESCO to continue providing technical support for the implementation and monitoring of the post-2015 education agenda, and to mobilize adequate financial resources to support education systems affected by crises and conflicts.

The conference discussed trends and challenges in education, based on national EFA reviews carried out in 2014. According to UNESCO, Arab countries have made progress toward eliminating gender disparity in education access, but have still a long way to go on providing pre-primary education, and quality education.

Recommendations from the regional conference will be conveyed to the 2015 World Education Forum to be organized by UNESCO in Incheon, Republic of Korea, in May 2015. [Sharm El Sheikh Statement] [UNESCO Closing Press Release] [UNESCO Opening Press Release]

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