KSrelief Organizes Seminar on “The Role of International Humanitarian Assistance in Supporting Education and Knowledge in Crisis-affected Areas” in Paris
Date:
02/10/2019
Author:
KSrelief
PARIS, FRANCE: King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) recently held an event in Paris focused on supporting the importance of education in vulnerable populations around the world. The seminar, “The Role of International Humanitarian Assistance in Supporting Education and Knowledge in Crisis-affected Areas,” was held at UNESCO headquarters and was followed by an exhibition on KSrelief’s global humanitarian work. KSrelief and UNESCO also signed a number of joint agreements to support the education sector in targeted countries.
The event was attended by the Supervisor General of KSrelief, Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah, the Director General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, the Somalian Minister of Education Dr. Abdullahi Godah Barre, the Yemeni Minister of Education, Dr. Abdullah Lamlas, the Permanent Delegation of Saudi Arabia to UNESCO, Ibrahim Albalawi, and a number of dignitaries, representatives from international humanitarian organizations, education specialists and interested members of the public.
Dr. Al Rabeeah’s opening remarks: “In 1946, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia became a founding member of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Since the original “G20” countries first met in London to establish UNESCO, the organization has strengthened cooperation and consolidated its global mission to alleviate the suffering of people in need in affected countries around world by implementing specific projects in the humanitarian and relief fields to achieve sustainable development goals.
“In light of the increasing number of humanitarian crises and emergencies in the world today, there is an urgent need to keep up with the latest methods for achieving sustainable development goals. These goals include the eradication of poverty, education for all, gender equality, providing decent work opportunities, improving security and allowing everyone fair access to basic health care. Combining efforts to rehabilitate and sustain education systems and to develop the skills and capacities of local populations can help vulnerable societies move towards more positive outcomes and a sustainable future.
“As part of its international humanitarian mission, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has developed and implemented many impartial, transparent relief and humanitarian initiatives which embody its core values of justice, neutrality, equality, non-discrimination and the rejection of violence and extremism. By providing practical assistance supported by these core values, the Kingdom seeks to help all crisis-affected communities to achieve sustainable development goals and build brighter futures.
“Because of the Kingdom’s founding interest in UNESCO and its ongoing partnerships with other international humanitarian organizations, KSrelief has organized this seminar and its accompanying exhibition to serve as humanitarian platforms to explore the scale of recent humanitarian and relief efforts, and to highlight the importance of joint cooperation with UNESCO and other leading international organizations in education, training and capacity-building. By funding and implementing initiatives in education, training and capacity-building in affected countries, we can help all people improve the lives of themselves and their families.
“As one of the world’s largest humanitarian donors,” Dr. Al Rabeeah concluded, “the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will continue its cooperation with United Nations organizations and the rest of the international community to reach our humanitarian goals, launching projects and programs to help crisis-stricken societies move towards a more prosperous and sustainable future. We ask God to grant us success in our efforts to use our knowledge and our understanding of our responsibilities to mankind to alleviate the suffering of all in need.”
In her remarks, Director General of UNESCO Audrey Azoulay stressed the importance of redoubling efforts to support crisis-affected areas. Education, she added, is a fundamental right for all human beings and is the greatest engine of development for building societies where peace and prosperity are prevalent, in addition to enhancing the resilience of societies following conflicts.
She also pointed out that UNESCO’s partnership with KSrelief shows the importance of concerted efforts to serve people most in need, adding that many refugee Syrian and Palestinian women and children in Lebanon have benefited from the Centre’s programs to ensure their access to education. She highlighted KSrelief’s many education projects, including the development of more than 100 libraries in Palestine, educational projects in Iraq, and other support for education in the areas of most need. She expressed her thanks to Saudi Arabia for supporting the UNESCO’s efforts in this area.
After the remarks, Dr. Al Rabeeah announced the launch of a project to support 12 libraries in Palestine (Prince Nayef Bin Abdulaziz Project For Equipping University Libraries in Palestine) in cooperation with UNESCO, at a cost of USD 2,853,000. 24,000 students will benefit from these libraries annually. The goal of the project is to assist university students and families who can no longer afford the costs of university education by providing students with access to courses, books, reference and research materials, computer facilities and the Internet.
The audience then watched a film entitled, “The Kingdom’s Education Assistance Around the World” which highlighted KSrelief’s significant role in supporting the education sector in vulnerable countries.
Panel discussions followed. The topic of the first panel: “For a sustainable future: the role of international humanitarian organizations in achieving human development in crisis-affected communities”. Moderator: Hassan Damluji, Deputy Director for Global Policy & Advocacy, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Panelists: Dr. Abdullahi Godah Barre, Minister of Education and Higher Education of Somalia, and Dr. Abdullah Lamlas, Minister of Education of Yemen.
Attendees then watched a film: “The Kingdom’s Education Assistance Around the World”. Panelists made the following suggestions: to formulate an international agenda to address and meet the needs of affected countries in sustainable development, learning and education in emergency situations; to include the education sector in urgent response plans and provide the funding necessary to support sustainable development in crisis-affected areas; to study the aspects of violations related to education and knowledge-transfer in affected communities to protect the right to education and present effective solutions; to invest in studies on humanitarian needs to ensure sustainable impact in areas affected by conflict, natural disasters and poverty; to develop effective evaluation methods to measure outcomes of humanitarian projects to contain crises and address challenges to achieving sustainable development; and to establish international forums to promote cooperation in various fields of education and build capacities to ensure the safety of future generations during emergencies and humanitarian crises.
Dr. Amal Al Habdan, Director of KSrelief’s Community Support Department, signed several joint agreements with UNESCO. Dr. Al Rabeeah signed the “I Have the Right to Develop” project, Yemen's national capacity-building program for finding alternative pathways to education for out-of-school children at risk in affected areas in Aden, Ma’rib, Lahij, and Shabwah. The cost of the Yemen projects will be USD 804,000, and 3,000 teachers and school staff will benefit; 100,000 will benefit indirectly. This project aims to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and strengthen Yemen's national educational capacities to reach out-of-school children at risk of dropping out.
Dr. Al Habdan signed another agreement, the “My Right to Learn” project, which is an educational benefit program for Yemeni children living in affected areas in Aden, Ma’rib, Lahij, and Shabwah. The total cost of this project will be USD 2,516,000, and it will directly benefit 25,000 students and indirectly benefit 75,000 people. The project aims to provide a second opportunity through educational and reenrollment programs for out-of-school children between the ages of 7 to 14. It also aims to provide intensive and accelerated programs to support the reintegration of children who have been out of school for two years or more.
Dr. Al Habdan also signed “Education Promotes Peace”, Yemen's national capacity-building program for finding alternative pathways for out-of-school children at risk in affected areas; the total cost will be USD 2,396,000 to support students, educational staff and educational institutions in Arab countries and regions affected by disasters and conflicts.
The project aims to design and develop accelerated educational content to establish alternative educational models and pathways, and to establish principles, concepts and content related to social cohesion, citizenship and the prevention of violent extremism. The project also aims to help reduce school dropout rates, making it a means for future intervention in targeted areas to help them build their capacities and enable them to prepare and implement these programs.
The second panel discussion was entitled, “Enhancing education and knowledge in emergencies”, and included the following speakers: Professor Mukesh Kapila - CBE, Professor of Health and Humanitarian Affairs - University of Manchester, Dr. Tim Frazier - Professor and Faculty Director, Emergency and Disaster Management Program of Georgetown University, Mr. Charles Hopkins – Chairholder of UNESCO Chair for Reorienting Education toward Sustainability, and Dr. Amal Al Habdan, Director of the Community Support Department for KSrelief. The panel was moderated by Farah Williamson, Representative on the Executive Committee of Education Cannot Wait, Plan International.
The suggestions from these panelists included: to discuss ways to involve governmental educational institutions in the development of appropriate policies, procedures and implementation plans for the protection and sustainability of educational systems in areas where conflict and natural disasters have affected education; to implement awareness and education programs for primary levels in poor and low-income communities to build generations better able to overcome humanitarian crises; to strengthen cooperation between scientific and medical research centers and international organizations to find innovative solutions to critical health conditions in crisis-affected areas; to develop and implement specialized capacity-building programs in humanitarian crisis management in teaching and learning to support the success of education systems; to strengthen scholarship programs and student cooperation to support knowledge societies leading to building a sustainable future; to support and finance educational benefit programs such as “Education Promotes Peace”, Yemen's national capacity-building program for alternative pathways for out-of-school children at risk in affected areas – for example, the “I Have the Right to Develop”, and the educational benefit program for Yemeni children living in affected areas, “My Right to Learn”; and to invest in initiatives to support and finance the infrastructure of service facilities for affected communities.