Education features as key issue during SDGs Debate in UK Parliament
Vicky Ford MP speaking during SDGs Debate in Westminster Hall, 19 October 2023.
On Thursday, 19 October a debate on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) took place in Westminster Hall. The debate was led by the Co-Chair of the International Parliamentary Network for Education and the Co-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Education Vicky Ford MP.
It occurred after the 2023 SDG Summit convened by the President of the General Assembly.
The Summit marked the half-way point to the deadline set for achieving the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.
It responded to the impact of multiple and interlocking crises facing the world and is expected to reignite a sense of hope, optimism, and enthusiasm for the 2030 Agenda.
The SDGs targets which include ending poverty everywhere for everyone, achieving gender equality, and ensuring quality and inclusive education for all are intended to be met by 2030, and yet 88% of them are off track.
Sustainable Development Goal 4 which aims to achieve inclusive and equitable quality education for all children by 2030 is recognised as key to progress across the SDGs and on ensuring healthy and resilient individuals and societies.
However, the growing number of out of school children, low learning levels for those with access to education and the serious educational challenges faced by children impacted by conflict and climate change show that educational progress has largely stalled in recent decades.
The debate discussed the progress of the SDGs, including SDG4, and the UK's commitments to meeting the global targets by 2030.
The debate was attended by seven different MPs, including Vicky Ford, Patrick Grady, Virendra Sharma, Fiona Bruce, Jim Shannon, Dr Matthew Offord, Lyn Brown alongside the UK Minister for Development, Andrew Mitchell.
In her opening speech, Vicky Ford MP highlighted that despite being in school, many children are not learning. Two thirds of 10-year-olds today cannot read and understand a simple sentence, meaning what children need most is quality education.
Ms Ford also welcomed UK's contribution to date to Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the global fund for education in emergencies, and acknowledged the vital work that ECW is doing. She also urged the UK government to leverage more financing for ECW to help ensure children in crisis-affected countries receive quality and inclusive education.
Vicky Ford MP highlights key issues facing education today: the learning crisis, lack of financing for education in emergencies and refugees.
With the upcoming Global Refugee Forum in December in Geneva, Mrs Ford shared that over 50% of refugee children today are not enrolled in school and welcomed the mega-pledge which the UK government is co-sponsoring with Germany and Canada.
Mrs Ford also recognized IPNEd’s role in building political leadership on the issue of education “As Global Co-Chair of the International Parliamentary Network I know that there are parliamentarians in countries all across the world who will support this.”
Mr Patrick Grady MP also spoke of the importance of achieving SDG4 by 2030 and ‘the transformative power’ that education has on the lives of millions of children worldwide.
In response, UK Minister for Development Andrew Mitchell acknowledged that achieving SDG4 by 2030 is key to achieving the other SDGs. He also recognized the challenges faced by children in emergencies and protracted and the huge difference Education Cannot Wait is making in providing children in conflict areas with quality education.
“This debate was an example of the critical role that parliaments can play in monitoring their government’s commitment to and progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals” said, IPNEd’s Executive Director, Joseph Nhan-O’Reily.
In a historic first, in 2022 UN General Assembly adopted a resolution highlighting the critical role of parliaments in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The resolution entitled Enhancing the role of parliaments in accelerating the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) welcomes the work of international organizations of parliamentarians, such as IPNEd, in sharing best practices and raising awareness among parliamentarians in support of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
“If we are to have any hope of renewing the effort to deliver the SDGs the political leadership of members of parliament must be harnessed. I’m delighted that this debate in the UK parliament provided one opportunity to do that and I hope to see many more,” concluded Mr Nhan-O’Reilly.
