€164 million: this is the amount of funding that the European Commission will mobilise in 2019 for Education in Emergencies projects. This record figure was announced by the institution on Tuesday 14 May regarding children or young people affected by wars or humanitarian crises that deny them access to school.
Awareness campaign. On the same day, the Commission launched the #RaiseYourPencil social media campaign to raise awareness among young Europeans of the need to ensure access to education for all boys and girls affected by crises around the world.
The launch took place in Brussels, during the high-level #School4All event, which brought together some 400 high-school students, teachers, policy makers and humanitarian aid practitioners, together with the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Denis Mukwege and the Belgian singers Axelle Red and Typh Barrow.
“Since 2015, our support has increased from 1% of the European humanitarian budget in 2015 to 10% in 2019. The European Union is leading by example”, said Christos Stylianides, Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management (see EUROPE 12173/22). He also added: “Education is the foundation for everything else. It is a protective shield against violence, sexual exploitation or radicalisation, especially during humanitarian crises. It makes children feel safe and provides them with opportunities for a brighter future” (see EUROPE 11683/18). (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)