9 September 2019: The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) launched its refugee education strategy to guide the implementation of agreed targets under SDG 4 (quality education) and the 2016 Global Compact on Refugees. The strategy promotes refugee inclusion in national education systems and safe environments for all students. It aims to enable learners to use their education towards sustainable futures.

UNHCR developed the strategy through a two-year consultative process with other UN agencies, international organizations, multilateral organizations, governments, education networks, the private sector and refugee communities themselves. The strategy is an update of the agency’s 2012-2016 Refugee Education Strategy, and it reflects contemporary understanding that refugees and displaced persons are often unable to return home for long periods, and that earlier, short-term approaches to refugee education have been insufficient. In view of the rapidly evolving displacement situation worldwide, the strategy was launched as a ‘living document’ online that can be complemented by further documentation of good practices, case studies and other guidance.

The strategy document titled, ‘Refugee Education 2030: A Strategy for Refugee Inclusion,’ contains many examples of successful efforts to improve education opportunities for refugee and other displaced children and youth around the world. On inclusion in national education systems, for example, UNHCR has encouraged informal learning centers in Malaysia, where there are 30,000 refugee children of school age, to adopt the Malaysian national curriculum, provide classes in the national language, and administer testing aligned to national standards. This approach has resulted in the Ministry of Education recognizing and registering 25 learning centers where Rohingya children are being educated, paving the way for their inclusion in the national system.

The overall goals of the strategy support those of the Global Compact on Refugees to: ease the pressures on host countries; enhance refugee self-reliance; and support conditions in countries of origin for return in safety and dignity. The document sets out recommended actions for all education actors, including governments, intergovernmental and regional organizations, donors, multilateral and bilateral organizations, NGOs, the private sector, and individual philanthropists. Five appendices provide a breakdown of objectives and expected results, approaches to achieving the objectives, and details of relevant international policy frameworks. [ReliefWeb Executive Summary]