In endorsing this declaration, Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the Global Fund for Education in Emergencies and Protracted Crises, reaffirms its commitment to addressing the intertwined challenges of climate change, conflict, and education in emergencies.

The climate crisis is an education crisis. 62 million crisis-affected children and adolescents across 27 countries have had their education disrupted by climate shocks since 2020.^[1] Climate-related events disrupt education through school closures, damage to/destruction of facilities, and the displacement of entire communities. At the same time, education can be a gateway towards adaptation and mitigation. Since climate events can be short-term sudden shocks and/or slow onset disasters, a credible response must bridge the humanitarian - development nexus - a major priority for ECW. ECW’s dual mission of speedy education responses in emergencies, as well as quality education for the long run, can be capitalized upon to respond effectively to the climate crisis.

ECW has made a bold set of commitments to address the climate crisis in its Strategic Plan  2023-2026. These commitments cut across all of ECW’s work, spanning programming, advocacy, funding and operations. Against a backdrop of devastating floods, prolonged drought and increasing displacement, ECW has already accelerated this work both at the global level, through advocacy and strategic partnerships, and at the country level, by providing investments and capacity strengthening for partners at the frontline of responding to climate-induced crises.

Specifically, ECW commits to:

1. Increase our ‘First Emergency Response’ programmes to safeguard access to quality education following sudden onset climate shocks such as floods and cyclones in crisis-affected countries.

1. Make our ‘Multi-Year Resilience Programmes’ even climate smarter, through the inclusion of climate risks as part of an all-hazards approach to needs assessments and needs-based decision-making and programme design.

1. Work with partners to support the adoption and implementation of the Comprehensive School Safety Framework which aims to ensure the safety of children in schools through disaster risk reduction.

1. Fund, through our ‘Acceleration Facility’ investment window, new global learning, research and guidance on climate-resilient education systems in emergencies and protracted crises. In 2024, this includes developing new guidance on environmentally-friendly Temporary Learning Spaces, producing new research on Loss and Damage and scaling-up innovative climate programmes in conflict-affected countries.

1. Increase our funding of anticipatory action programmes. At COP28, ECW signed up to the  Getting Ahead of Disasters Charter and in 2024, we will launch our first-ever anticipatory action pilots in crisis-affected countries.

1. Explore accessing and distributing climate finance to ensure that the education sector gets its fair share of climate finance, in line with emerging policy recommendations.

7. Set and implement organizational emission reduction targets for ECW in line with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. 

To support the above commitments and to meet our bold ambition on climate, ECW will continue to fundraise for its Right Here Right Now campaign - a US $150 million appeal launched at COP28 to reach 2 million crisis-affected children and adolescents with holistic, quality learning support.

Children living at the frontline of the climate crisis in the world’s most fragile contexts must not be left behind. The education sector must not be forgotten in pursuing climate, relief, recovery and peace solutions. Together with our partners, we will continue to champion the rights of all children and youth to a safe, inclusive, and quality education, resilient to the challenges posed by our changing climate. Endorsing this declaration gives us yet one more reason to remain steadfast in our mission.

[1] ECW (2023) Futures at Risk: Climate-Induced Shocks and Their Toll on Education for Crisis-Affected Children