On Tuesday 5 December, European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica announced that the EU will commit another €100 million to finance the Global Partnership for Education (GPE).
This will be the EU's contribution to the replenishment of the GPE's resources up to 2020, planned in two months, with the goal of financing education for 870 million children. The third conference on GPE replenishment will take place in Dakar on 2 February 2018 under the joint chairmanship of the presidents of Senegal and France.
The GPE is aimed at ensuring quality, inclusive and fair education, as well as promoting permanent learning opportunities for all.
The €100 million "will ensure that over 25 million additional children complete primary school or lower secondary school", Mimica stated in a press release, calling on "other actors and partners" to follow and match the EU's ambition.
In 2014, the EU pledged €375 million for the 2015-2018 period (see EUROPE 11109). The Commission states that thus far the EU has been the top contributor as it has provided 63% of resources. Its financing contributed to a further 64 million children being able to have access to primary schools between 2002 and 2014. Over the same period, the number of children completing the primary cycle of education rose from 63% to 73%.
The Dakar conference will bring together donor and developing countries, multilateral organisations, civil society, the private sector and philanthropic foundations. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)