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“Education not only saves lives in emergencies, but it also sustains life by giving a sense of hope for the future”
Taking into consideration that, on the one hand, global forced displacement of refugees, internally displaced people and asylum seekers worldwide exceed 50 million people at the end of 2014; and that, on the other hand, the average conflict lasts 10 years and families remain in IDP camps for an average of 17 years, the failure to prioritize education in general, and higher education in particular in humanitarian response renders entire generations uneducated, developmentally disadvantaged and unprepared to contribute to their society’s recovery.
Higher education unleashes innovation and entrepreneurial skills that are important for economic activity and job creation elements critical for stability during times of reconstruction and for longer-term sustainable development. But this broader context of early recovery, in crisis and post-crisis settings, in order to build a stronger foundation for sustained recovery from crises in the long-term and to consolidate peace by preventing a relapse into conflict should be set up from day one of the humanitarian agenda. Why?
Because education sustains life by offering safe spaces for learning and by making it possible to identify and support seriously affected individuals, particularly children and youth. As studies clearly show education mitigates the psychoso¬cial impact of conflict and disasters by providing a sense of normalcy, stability, structure and hope for the future. Quality education can save lives by providing physical protection from the dangers and exploitation of a crisis environment.
In this regard, higher education plays a vital role in saving lives and giving a sense of hope for the future in the context of emergencies. It is higher education that will produce the leaders and skilled workforce that countries need to move forward, in particular after crisis and conflict.
Yet in humanitarian crises, higher education is too often neglected. Based on best practices and lessons learned with recent crises, namely with Iraq and Syria, there are a key number of questions that have to be addressed if we want to bridge the existing gap such as: how to integrate higher education opportunities into humanitarian responses? How to best coordinate interventions of actors on the ground? How to make financial resources available on time? How to organize and coordinate efforts for the effective implementation of quality programs of higher education during the emergency response?
What are the challenges universities face in conflict zones? To know more read the article: Universities in conflict zones: 'we face intimidation and arrests', by Louise Tickle, The Guardian.
16-17 December 2014 | Brussels, Belgium
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In December 2014, an international Conference was co-organized by a set of stakeholders - the Council of Europe, the British Council, the League of Arab States, the Institute of International Education and the Global Platform for Syrian Students – to draw attention to the urgent need to reflect further on these key questions.
This Conference hosted by the Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium, brought together more than 100 participants from all walks of life – civil society organizations, Universities and associations of universities, international organizations, government representatives, aid and cooperation agencies, and the private sector - engaged in and committed to promoting higher education, in particular in emergency situations.
It explored the vital role of higher education in saving lives and giving a sense of hope for the future in the context of emergencies. Using the current Syrian crisis as an example, this ground-breaking Conference aimed to solidify a series of recommendations that may pave the way for some type of Rapid Response Mechanism for Higher Education in the event of natural disaster or armed conflict. The central idea is that, in humanitarian crises, education and in particular higher education is too often neglected. And yet, it is higher education that will produce the leaders and skilled workforce that countries need to move forward, in particular after crisis and conflict.
This Conference was planned as a starting point of a broader process that will continue in 2015 with a two-fold aim:
• On the one hand, to put higher education high on the post-2015 development agenda because missing this opportunity will mean that no real progress on the ground will be made in the next fifteen years. Exploring the various entry-points possibilities and making a strong advocacy campaign are top priority actions.
• On the other hand, further reflection on the international responsibility of protecting and rebuilding higher education in emergencies should continue. Exploring ways of making the international community endorse a call to action or a set of principles or hopefully commit to set up a rapid response mechanism for higher education in emergencies are questions that need to be further discussed and explored. Its inclusion in the post-2015 agenda should also be sought.
Annex: What Will Become of Syria's Students and Scholars?, By Allan E. Goodman (President and Chief Executive Officer, Institute of International Education) and Jorge Sampaio (President of the Portuguese Republic from 1996 to 2006; Chairman of the Global Platform for Syrian Students).
The year of 2015 marked good progress in terms of advocacy made by the GP4SYS at the international stage to raise awareness about the unique role higher education plays in conflict situations and the need for the international community to deliver more higher education opportunities for refugees, IDPs and young people facing crisis situations.
Following up on a first meeting convened in Brussels in December 2014, over 2015 the GP4SYS participated in a number of international meetings on the topic of higher education in emergencies, developed contacts at various levels to promote this cause, notably at political level through the leadership of President Sampaio, chairman of the GP4SYS, and launched a number of studies gathering information and data on higher education in emergencies.
2015
2016
co-sponsored by the Permanent Missions of the State of Qatar and Portugal to the United Nations in NY in association with the Global Platform for Syrian Students, and a number of leading organizations. The event took place on Monday, 19 September 2016 at the United Nations.
The GP4SYS participated in the last workshop on "Delivering Higher Education for Syrian Refugees" organised by SPARK, the British Council and Al Fanar Media in partnership with Luminus Edu in Jordan in November 2016.
2017
Workshop on "Postgraduate Education for Syrian Students" organised by the Rhodes Trust on 11 and 12 May 2017.
The Global Platform for Syrian Students was invited to participate in a Planning and Development Workshop delivered in partnership with the British Council, and built on the 23 May 2017 Going Global session about World Access to Higher Education Day.
On 8 June 2017, the GP4SYS also participated in the Coimbra Group Annual Conference and General Assembly held in Edinburgh (UK).
On 28 June 2017, a High-Level Event on Education was convened in partnership with key SDG 4 stakeholders to drive a new push for inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all. The Global Platform for Syrian Students was part of this event and our representative, the Secretary General, Ms Helena Barroco, made an intervention during the panel: DIALOGUE: WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO ACHIEVE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL 4?.
2018
05 April 2018, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation | Lisbon, Portugal
With the aim of setting up a Rapid Response Mechanism for Higher Education in Emergencies, the Global Platform for Syrian Students organised an "International Conference on Higher Education in Emergencies: Doing More, Better and Faster" with the support of the Portuguese Governement. The conference brought together more than 300 participants included high-level governement representatives and experts.
Check-out the following documents:
In 2018, the GP4SYS also participated in the following events on higher education in emergencies:
2019
2020
20 January 2020, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation | Lisbon, Portugal
The International Workshop was built upon the momentum generated by the conference organised by the Global Platform in Lisbon in April 2018 as well as on the commitments made in the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals Agenda and the Global Compacts for Refugees and Migrants as well as the first Global Refugee Forum to be held in Geneva on 17 and 18 December 2019. The workshop aimed to promote collective efforts to achieve a systemic solution to the problem of delivering more, better and faster higher education opportunities for refugees, students at risk or in forced displacement. It sought to generate greater mobilization of the higher education sector to contributing to deliver a true global academic response to the equally global challenge of empowering young people through quality higher education, in particular in conflict-affected societies, fragile settings and protracted crises.
2021
Side Event to the Brussels V Conference on “Supporting the future of Syria and the region”
‘HIGHER EDUCATION IN CRISIS SETTINGS MATTERS – LISTENING TO SYRIAN VOICES AND OTHER TESTIMONIALS’
In 2014 Jorge Sampaio, former President of Portugal, launched an emergency scholarship programme for Syrian students caught in the crisis to enable them to complete their higher education. This pioneer multi-stake-holders initiative brought together a number of private and public international donors and partners as well as the Portuguese academic community. With the full support of the Portuguese authorities, since 2014 scores of young Syrian women and men were able to resume their studies. More than one hundred have already graduated with a BA, MA or PhD’s degrees.
Yet numerous other students are still waiting for an education opportunity to bounce back and rebuild hope for the future. Too many youth are being left behind. Without accessible and quality education, youth also end up being left out of the world of work.
This session was about listening to Syrian voices and other testimonials from the ground involved in this initiative in different capacities to raise awareness about the need to boost higher education opportunities for young people caught up in crisis due to conflict, persecution or natural disasters. It provided a unique opportunity to deeper understand higher education in emergencies both as a very practical, human and emotional subject and as a key strategic policy issue at the core of the so-called triple nexus (humanitarian-development-peace nexus). At the end of the session participants developed a better understanding of how much “in conflict and crisis situations, higher education serves as a powerful driver for change, shelters a critical group of young men and women by maintaining their hopes for the future, fosters inclusion and non-discrimination and acts as a catalyst for the recovery and rebuilding of post-conflict countries” (New York Declaration, paragraph 82, 2016).
As Kholoud, an electronical engineer, alumna of the Global Platform for Syrian Students once said, “if you build a person, the person will build the community and the community will rebuild the country”.
Who was this Session for?
If you missed the session, watch it here!
For further information, watch the RRM video presentation and know more! .
