Rewiring Education for People & Planet
Education Commission, Dubai Cares
We are grappling with an unprecedented series of critical challenges. The devastating effects of the pandemic, rising food and energy costs, new and ongoing conflicts, and the impacts of climate change are deepening poverty and vulnerability worldwide. These compounding global crises are underscored by a silent crisis in education, where the expansion of learning poverty and skills deprivation means SDG4 is off track and threatens acute, and potentially chronic, consequences for individuals, communities, and nations.
An education transformation would dramatically change this picture. Education is not just the birthright of every child, it is also a powerful catalyst for progress in poverty reduction, health and sustainable development and progress in these areas can accelerate advances in education. Amidst competing priorities and limited resources, the time has come to stop thinking in silos and to start recognizing the interconnectedness of the SDGS and the powerful benefits of linking education to efforts across other sectors to fuel a virtuous cycle of progress. We need deep and substantive cross-sectoral collaboration within and outside of education to create a more sustainable, prosperous, and equitable world. This does not just mean working together to address symptoms of the challenge; it requires thinking together to reimagine how our systems – education, health, agriculture, child protection, energy, and others – can deliver on our promises to this and future generations.
Governments, aid donors, and international financial institutions must act decisively to challenge the status quo of sector silos and competition for resources. We must forge new and meaningful and partnerships to seize win-win opportunities for transformative results.
The side meeting sought to mobilize support for “win-win” solutions for education, and explore how governments and other stakeholders, inside and outside of education, can take these solutions forward.