“In times of crisis, ensuring safe schools and education is more than a book, a pencil, a classroom. It is hope. It is protection and it is the first step toward a brighter future”, stressed the European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, on Thursday 5 June, on the X platform, reaffirming the priority that the European Union gives to education in humanitarian emergencies.
The Commissioner was in Geneva for the United Nations Ministerial Round Table on School Safety, organised as part of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction from 2 to 6 June.
In her speech, Hadja Lahbib described education as an essential response to multiple crises such as wars, natural disasters and pandemics.
“I have seen the power of education with my own eyes”, she said, referring to an underground school in Ukraine, Syrian refugee camps in Jordan and the town of Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh, where there are camps for Rohingya refugees.
“In places like these, education lights the fire of hope in a sea of darkness”, she added.
For example, the European Commission plans to invest €185 million in 2025 to guarantee access to safe education for children and teenagers affected by humanitarian crises.
This budgetary priority is part of a long-term effort, according to the Commissioner, who pointed out that between 2015 and 2024, the EU has allocated nearly €1.2 billion to education programmes in emergency situations, enabling more than 23 million children in 63 countries to continue their learning.
However, European action would not be limited to funding.
The EU’s new preparedness strategy gives people, especially young people, a key role in resilience efforts.
“We are also bringing disaster preparedness into the classroom, not just as a subject to study, but as a life skill to practice”, insisted Hadja Lahbib.
Through programmes such as Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps, the European Commission aims to promote a genuine culture of preparation among young Europeans. (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)