#safe schools declaration

[protecteducationday]

Attacks on schools and learners are attacks on children’s rights and their futures.

Every student and teacher should feel safe at school. But for millions, that's not a reality.

September 9th, International Day to Protect Education From Attack 2024.

[protecteducationday]

‘Havens of safety and learning’.

The Secretary-General urged all countries to ensure the protection of schools, children and teachers at all times, through measures such as the Safe Schools Declaration and the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack.

Through joint efforts, Mr. Guterres believes, schools can become “havens of safety and learning for every child, no matter where they live”.

[protecteducationday]

Positive developments in protecting education from attack.

Significant progress was made on protecting education from attack during the reporting period, including states’ efforts to implement the commitments of the Safe Schools Declaration, a political commitment to protect education during armed conflict.

During this reporting period, GCPEA observed a growing awareness of the widespread prevalence of attacks on education, as well as sustained political action to end attacks, donor support to address key issues, and important legal developments at national and international levels. In particular, the implementation of the Safe Schools Declaration expanded during the 2020-2021 reporting period. The Safe Schools Declaration is an inter-governmental political commitment, championed by Argentina and Norway, that allows countries to express political support for the protection of students, teachers, schools, and universities during times of armed conflict. As of February 2022, 113 countries had endorsed the Safe Schools Declaration since its launch in May 2015. Since the publication of Education under Attack 2020, nine countries endorsed the declaration: Algeria, Ghana, Maldives, Mexico, Namibia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Timor-Leste, Togo, and Senegal. Countries that endorse the Declaration commit to protect education from attack and prevent military use of schools and universities through implementing its six commitments.

These include: using the Guidelines for Protecting Schools and Universities from Military Use during Armed Conflict to protect educational institutions, students, and personnel; facilitating the collection of, or collecting, data on attacks; investigating allegations of violations; providing assistance to victims; implementing conflict-sensitive approaches to education; ensuring continuity of education during conflict; supporting UN work on the children and armed conflict agenda; and meeting regularly to review the implementation of the Declaration and its Guidelines.

The Declaration received increased attention by multilateral bodies since the publication of Education under Attack 2020. Notably, the United Nations General Assembly declared September 9 as the International Day to Protect Education from Attack, mentioning the Declaration, and adopted a resolution on the right to safe education for all. The resolution was introduced by the State of Qatar and co-sponsored by 62 states. Both in 2020 and 2021, the International Day was commemorated by a high-level event bringing together global leaders on education, peace, and conflict, including the Secretary General of the United Nations. In September 2020, The UN Security Council issued a milestone Presidential Statement solely focused on attacks on education. Following this statement, , on October 29, 2021, the UN Security Council adopted a stand-alone resolution on attacks on education, with Niger and Norway as penholders, and 99 co-sponsors. Furthermore, at the 47th session of the Human Rights Council, in July 2021, the Council adopted a resolution on the right to education, which referenced the Safe Schools Declaration and the Guidelines for the first time, and called on states to consider implementing them. States, non-state actors, multilateral organizations, and non-governmental organizations took important steps towards protecting education and fulfilling different commitments of the Declaration in 2020 and 2021, examples of which are shared below. Using the Guidelines to Protect Schools and Universities from Military Use during Armed Conflict.

In 2020 and 2021, some states, international and regional bodies, and non-state armed groups took concrete steps to prevent and reduce the military use of schools.

In DRC, the non-governmental organization Geneva Call supported negotiation efforts leading to the CMC/FDP (Coalition des Mouvements pour le Changement / Force de Défense du Peuple) signing unilateral declarations on the protection of healthcare and of children in armed conflict. Also in DRC, the APCLS armed group (Alliance du Peuple Pour un Congo Libre et Souverain) published a statement asking their combatants to protect schools and refrain from attacking civilian objects. The statement also declared that APCLS combatants would be held responsible for violations to national law. • In Thailand, in January 2020, the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) armed group signed the Deed of Commitment for the Protection of Children from the Effects of Armed Conflict, which includes protections for education and a commitment to not recruit children during military operations. • In Syria, in 2020, the Syrian Democratic Forces vacated ten schools and issued a command order prohibiting the military use of schools by its forces and calling on all parties to conflict to follow this example.

[protecteducationday]

Condemning attacks on schools and their use for military purposes by non-state armed groups, as well as the abduction of children from schools.

The Declaration commitments have been translated into binding African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) decisions on attacks on schools. For example, the AUPSC issued a communique on May 11, 2021, condemning attacks on schools and their use for military purposes by non-state armed groups, as well as the abduction of children from schools. The Council stated that these violations keep children from educational institutions, which they need to grow and develop. Further, the principles of the Declaration are included in the AU Doctrine on Peace Support Operations, adopted in January 2021, which directly refers to the central commitment of the SSD, namely, to ensure that “schools are not attacked and used for military purposes”. This is an important milestone which reflects the growing consensus within the African continent on the importance of protecting schools.

Mali has made two significant advances. In March 2020, the Safe Schools Declaration Technical Com mittee launched an Action Plan that included concrete activities to disseminate the Guidelines for Protecting Schools and Universities from Military Use during Armed Conflict and incorporated the protection of schools and universities into national legislation. Further, in May 2020, Mali’s Ministry of Education issued a letter to the Ministry of Defence asking them to respect the spirit of the Guidelines while schools were closed during Covid-19 and refrain from using schools for military purposes.195 Article 180 of CAR’s 2020 Child Protection Code criminalized attacks on schools and their occupation. • In June 2020, the Ministry of Defense of Spain released its new national defense directive stating that in their operations abroad, the armed forces will be supporting implementation of “the Safe Schools initiative.

In 2021, South Sudan launched “Safe Schools Declaration Guidelines” with support from Save the Children. The document aims to facilitate dissemination of the Guidelines and incorporate them into the South Sudan People Defense Forces’ code of conduct.198 Also in South Sudan, in 2020, all parties to conflict signed a comprehensive action plan covering all six grave violations against children, including attacks against schools, and have since progressed in its implementation. • In September 2021, Nigeria released its National Policy for Safety, Security and Violence-Free Schools, which draws on the Guidelines. 200 • In August 2020, the United Kingdom published an updated policy paper on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict. The paper notes the country’s endorsement of the Safe Schools Declaration and the need to improve accountability for violations of children’s rights in conflict. In 2021, the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence published a new policy on Human Security in Defence which contains advice and direction on cross-cutting themes including children affected by armed conflict. The policy includes instructions in line with the Safe Schools Declaration with regards to avoiding the military use of schools and universities. • The government of Ukraine adopted an action plan for implementing the Safe Schools Declaration in August 2021. Civil society supported the government in training officers in the armed forces on the Safe Schools Declaration and the Guidelines. So far, at least 1,000 military officials have been trained. Collecting reliable, relevant data on attacks on education Several positive developments took place around enhanced monitoring. GCPEA published the Toolkit for Collecting and Analyzing Data on Attacks on Education and worked with several governments and organizations to strengthen the collection of data on attacks on education and military use of educational facilities. The Right to Education Initiative also published two guides to support journalists and photographers and civil society organizations to monitor the right to education in times of conflict. In Ukraine, the Ministry of Education and Science established a Monitoring Mechanism on Attacks on Education and its Standard Operating Procedures. This involved the development of data collection tools and an integrated reporting system in line with other data collected by the Ministry of Education and Science. In Nigeria, in September 2020, the Education in Emergencies Working Group completed a draft of the “Safe Schools Declaration and the Guidelines Reporting and Assessment Forms for Conflict-Affected Areas.” These forms allow for the detailed and systematic collection of data on attacks on education and military use with the aim of facilitating school re-openings after attacks. At the time of writing, plans were underway for piloting the forms.

[protecteducationday]

States that endorse the safe schools declaration.

The Safe Schools Declaration was opened for state endorsement in Oslo, Norway, in May 2015. It is a political commitment to better protect students, teachers, schools and universities during armed conflict, to support the continuation of education during war, and to put in place concrete measures to deter the military use of schools. By endorsing the Declaration, States commit to restoring access to safe education and to developing education systems that are conflict-sensitive and promote respect between social or ethnic groups. 

[protecteducationday]

Ensuring Safe Education for All - From commitment to Practice.

Fouth International Conference on the Safe Schools Declaration;

The Government of Nigeria, together with the Governments of Argentina, Norway, and Spain, as well as the African Union Commission and the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack hosted the 4th International Conference on the Safe Schools Declaration in Abuja, Nigeria, and virtually.

The Government of Nigeria, together with the Governments of Argentina, Norway, Spain, African Union Commission and the Global Coalition to P