Parliamentarians call for action for refugee education
03 November 2021, H.E. President Jakaya Kikwete, Chair of the Global Partnership for Education, addresses parliamentarians on the vital importance of refugee inclusion in national education systems.
On 03 November, the International Parliamentary Network for Education (IPNEd) partnered with the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, to host a roundtable on parliamentary action to include refugees in national education systems.
While all refugee children and youth have the right to education, young refugees face immense obstacles to accessing and receiving a quality education. At primary level, UNHCR data suggests 68% of refugee children are enrolled in school, yet this plummets to just 34% at secondary school level.
These figures demonstrate that it is vital that the international community redouble its efforts to ensure children who have crossed an international border in search of protection have access to school if we are to have any chance of approaching the internationally agreed targets for education.
At the roundtable, moderated by Şafak Pavey, former Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Turkey and now Senior Adviser with UNHCR, parliamentarians heard from keynote speaker President Jakaya Kikwete, former President of Tanzania and the newly appointed Chair of the Global Partnership for Education.
President Kikwete addressed the vital importance of ensuring quality and inclusive education for refugees, highlighting the importance of sustainable and inclusive pathways for education and gender equality.
The discussion was opened by Ambassador Mohamed Abdi Affey, former Kenyan MP and UNHCR’s Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, who reflected on global efforts to deliver quality education for refugees.
The roundtable was held in advance of UNHCR’s High Level Officials Meeting (HLOM) in December 2021. The HLOM will take stock of progress since the Global Refugee Forum (GRF) in 2019, including assessing pledge implementation, further broadening the base of support for refugee education, and identifying gaps and challenges that need to be addressed in the lead-up to the second GRF in 2023.
Parliamentarians around the world discussed their advocacy for refugee education, and the work they’ve led in parliament to advocate for refugees to be included in national education systems.
Participants heard from members of parliament in countries implementing strong policy and legislative commitments to provide education to refugees as well as countries where serious challenges remain in doing so. Leading the discussion, MNA Mehnaz Akber Aziz of the National Assembly of Pakistan, Hon. Sasmit Patra MP of the Parliament of India and Hon. Hassan Omar Mohamed MP of the Parliament of Djibouti shared their advocacy for refugee education with parliamentary attendees from across North America, Asia, Europe, Africa and Oceania.
Emphasis was placed on the vital role of parliamentarians in holding their governments and the international community to account for the pledges made to support refugees at the GRF, recognising the role of coordinated support in line with more equitable responsibility-sharing central to the Global Compact on Refugees.
Ahead of the HLOM in December, political leadership is vital to ensure that refugee, stateless and internally displaced girls and boys have access to quality and inclusive primary, secondary and tertiary education, wherever they are.
An outcomes document will be produced in follow up to the roundtable and will be used to inform the assessment of Global Refugee Forum pledges on education and inspire new and revitalized efforts to deliver the education promises set out in the Global Compact on Refugees.
The outcomes document, co-published by UNHCR and IPNEd, is available to download here.
