QNCECS Co-organizes Panel on Amplifying Youth Voices in Protecting Education from Attacks Agenda

Doha, September 13 (QNA) - Qatar National Commission for Education, Culture and Science (QNCECS) held Wednesday a panel discussion to amplify the voices of youth in the Protecting Education from Attacks agenda, in cooperation with the Education Above All Foundation (EAA), UNESCO regional office, and the UNICEF office in Doha. HE Minister of Education and Higher Education, Buthaina bint Ali Al Jabr Al Nuaimi, who is also Chairperson of QNCECS attended the panel which is part of celebrations to mark the fourth International Day to Protect Education from Attack. The occasion is commemorated annually on Sep. 9, based on a draft resolution presented by the State of Qatar to the United Nations General Assembly during its 74th session. This resolution was adopted unanimously in May 2020. The draft resolution urges the international community to alleviate the plight of students affected by armed conflicts. Director of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education's International Cooperation Affairs Department and Acting Secretary-General of the QNCECS, Ali Abdulrazzaq Al Marafi said that the importance of the panel stems from the fact that it revolves around activating the role of youth in protecting education from attacks, and ways to achieve justice for the victims of those attacks and help teachers and administrators reintegrate affected children into education. Al Marafi in a speech at the beginning of the panel, praised the role of the State of Qatar in adopting the draft UNGA Resolution No. 74/275, considering the celebration of this day an honor and a symbol of the sound vision of HH Chairperson of EAA Sheikha Moza bint Nasser to raise the value and importance of education, as a human right. Her Highness was keen to provide protection for it and to ensure that every child in the world obtains this right, regardless of the circumstances and environment in which they live, he added, indicating that Her Highness stressed the necessity of a unified global call to establish effective mechanisms in monitoring violations of international law and ensuring that perpetrators are held accountable. He noted that the State of Qatar was one of the first countries to support the Safe Schools Declaration since its launch in 2015, with the aim of providing quality and comprehensive education to millions of children affected by poverty, armed conflicts and natural disasters, and that it had launched several initiatives in this field to provide educational opportunities for these children. However, he warned that despite this, attacks on education and its institutions continue throughout the world, which will affect the future of entire generations of children without the possibility of them obtaining quality and comprehensive education, and will also exacerbate the deteriorating living conditions from which millions of children suffer. He affirmed the country's firm belief that education is a human right, and contributes a positive role in achieving rapprochement, communication and interaction between civilizations, cultures and peoples, and enhances common human values, the principles of right, justice, peace and mutual respect, highlighting Qatar's support for all international efforts to ensure quality education for all, which is evident through the contributions and support provided to the affected and developing countries. Al Marafi stressed the importance of the role of youth in making change and contributing to formulating new visions through active community participation in presenting perceptions, initiatives and solutions in facing various challenges, expressing his confidence that education, knowledge, scientific research, conducting dialogue and exchanging experiences and visions, is the correct and ideal path for youth’s positive contribution. CEO of the EAA, Fahd Al Sulaiti stressed in a recorded video speech the importance of the International Day to Protect Education from Attack, reviewing EAA's great and appreciated efforts with its partners, by leading a campaign worldwide to demand an end to attacks on education. However, attacks have witnessed a continuous increase, as the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attacks reported that more than 25,000 students and teachers were killed during the past five years. This important global event will focus on demanding justice for the victims of attacks on education, while emphasizing the need to involve all those affected, teachers and youth in the global call to present solutions that enable every person to demand an end to attacks on education, calling for unifying efforts and demanding one voice for Safe education as a right for everyone. 

HE Director-General of Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) Khalifa bin Jassim Al Kuwari stressed that education is not just a development goal, and not only a basic internationally recognized human right, but rather goes beyond them to be a key to liberation from ignorance and poverty, and a bridge to a better future for children and youth wherever they are, especially in the most fragile and least developed countries. In his speech on this occasion, His Excellency pointed out that while many children and youth enjoy safe access to their schools, millions of children suffer from difficulties, challenges and risks that make education a threat to their lives and safety rather than a beacon for a better future for them. In 2020 and 2021, more than 5,000 attacks targeting the education sector and its facilities were monitored through armed and unarmed attacks in more than 28 countries around the world, including over 3,000 targeting schools in populated areas using explosive devices and aerial bombs, His Excellency said. HE Al Kuwari added that the threat extends to include attacks on school students, teachers and teaching staff by irregular armed groups in some areas, cities and villages under their control, and by regular security forces at other times, stressing that all these systematic attacks require international cooperation and require diligent efforts at various local, national and international levels. His Excellency called for further communication, cooperation and work with educational institutions, civil society institutions, local religious institutions, the private sector and tribal groups in rural and remote areas to support and train them to deal with what threatens education and the ability of children and youth to access it. In this context, His Excellency praised the pioneering role played by the EAA as a strategic partner of the QFFD as it succeeded during the past few years in returning over 10 million children to schools. At the national level, His Excellency said that governments have a prominent role in enhancing security and safety, especially in remote areas, to protect education from attacks, as well as following peaceful methods of mediation to resolve conflicts and wars, highlighting many examples carried out by the State of Qatar that serve international peace and security, without excluding the direct impact of success in resolving disputes peacefully on the protection of education and the future of children and youth. His Excellency highlighted the need to cooperate with international organizations through their programs focused on supporting advocacy in the field of protecting education from attacks, and those that aim to establish international laws and controls that criminalize attacks on educational institutions and students, highlighting QFFD's humanitarian and development assistance through international institutions and organizations. 

Assistant CEO of Programs and Community Development Sector at Qatar Charity, Faisal Rashid Al Fahida, delivered a speech, affirming that education in conflict areas is of utmost importance, highlighting QC's efforts to ensure that children in conflict zones receive their right to quality education in safe environments. These efforts extend to working in crisis-affected regions and supporting both international and Qatar's national initiatives in this regard. He stated that QC believes that education helps children avoid the risks associated with dropping out and ignorance, contributes to improving the conditions of displaced and refugee children and helps them acquire the necessary skills to contribute to the reconstruction of their countries. Al Fahida also mentioned that in line with this commitment, QC provides effective support for delivering education to children in emergency and protracted crisis situations. They implement educational projects in various countries, including Turkiye, Syria, Palestine, Sudan, Lebanon, Bangladesh, Yemen, and Indonesia. Their interventions in the field of education during emergencies encompass maintenance and reconstruction of educational institutions that have been damaged due to conflicts, printing and distribution of school textbooks, provision of school bags, and scholarships. QC has worked on adopting digital solutions to serve humanitarian causes, including providing education to millions of refugee children and youth. They have contributed to launching the Global School on Refugee and Migrant Health initiative in partnership with its founding partners, aiming to provide the best digital solutions for delivering quality education to refugees and displaced individuals worldwide. Furthermore, Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the UN for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba emphasized in her video statement that education is not a privilege but a fundamental right that enables young people and children to build a brighter future. She called for not underestimating the role of education even in conflict situations and stressed the importance of protecting children, schools, and teachers to ensure their rights and prevent violations. She also highlighted the significance of endorsing the Safe Schools Declaration, which was launched in 2015. Gamba, the keynote speaker at this event, also called for preventing attacks on schools, and their military use, and criminalizing all such actions. She emphasized the importance of adhering to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and developing necessary plans to enhance the protection and well-being of children while globally addressing their protection standards. She noted that the legal framework for this, whether in peacetime or during armed conflicts, is robust but requires effective implementation. The panel discussion, which included officials from the UNESCO Gulf States and Yemen in Doha, QC schools, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, and Regional Director of UNICEF Office in Doha Anthony MacDonald covered topics related to the importance of international cooperation and partnerships in protecting education from attacks, as well as the role of youth in this endeavor. They expressed appreciation for the pivotal and leading role played by Qatar, HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, and the EAA in this context. Anasse Bouhlal, from the UNESCO Regional Office in Doha and the coordinator of the panel discussion, stated that the issues raised are of utmost importance. He emphasized the vital nature of the Qatari initiative presented to the UN for the protection of education from attacks, which was adopted in 2020. The UN official, in a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA), explained that the panel discussion was interactive, involving young people themselves and various stakeholders. During the discussion, there was an exchange of views and experiences on how to overcome the challenges of protecting education from attacks, with a specific focus on the role of youth and amplifying their voices in this regard. (QNA)