QNADohaAssistant Foreign Minister HE Lolwah bint Rashid Al Khater has stressed that protecting education from attack is highly significant for Qatar.Al Khater noted that the country’s impartial mediations in various conflicts over the past two decades provided close monitoring of the advantages of education and the devastation emanating from its absence. Realising the importance of education Qatar made an investment in quality education a top priority for the country. In a recorded speech delivered at an event on the sidelines on the occasion of the second anniversary of the International Day to Protect Education from Attack, she said Qatar has always been one of the main supporters of the Safe Schools Declaration since it was launched in 2015. She noted that the establishment of the Education Above All Foundation, one of the sponsors of this event, aimed at providing quality education for those affected by poverty, conflict and disasters, highlighting how the foundation’s “Educate A Child” Program projects were implemented with 82 global partners and 50 countries and its achievement of getting 10 million children enrolled in schools.Al Khater said the draft resolution submitted by Qatar to adopt the International Day to Protect Education from Attack was unanimously adopted by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, in recognition of the importance of ensuring quality education at all levels, and ensuring safe learning environments in emergencies and armed conflicts.She stressed that education in itself is a fundamental human right, and must be provided for all people at all times, noting that education in emergencies, in particular, is viewed as a lifeline for those stuck in conflict areas or in displacement and long-distance asylum camps.She deemed marking this occasion an opportunity to contemplate how education can improve our lives and liberate us from vicious circles that create nothing but destruction, and how attacks on education can threaten the well-being and survival of millions of our children worldwide.Al Khater noted that the COVID-19 pandemic posed an exceptional challenge for both teachers and students, most notably those living in conflict areas, calling for deeming education at the heart of international efforts to recover from the pandemic amid a notable surge in attacks on schools. According to the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attacks (GCPEA) report (Education Under Attack 2021), in 2020 and 202, more than 5,000 attacks were recorded on educational facilities, students and teachers, and more than 9,000 students, teachers, and academics were harmed, injured or killed in attacks on education amid armed conflicts. She said deeming the figures extremely alarming that necessitate immediate attention and need for further action to protect education from attack.Al Khater expressed her conviction that the optimum protection of education from attack will only be achieved by putting an end to armed conflicts, calling -- when his objective is achieved -- for concrete steps to ensure the safety of students and teachers.She added that this goal can be achieved through launching awareness campaigns for both rebels in conflict areas and the general public. It is highly significant to engage armed groups in education about how violations of the right to education constitute a serious breach of international humanitarian law and may amount to a war crime and a crime against humanity.She also called for documenting and probing attacks on education, publishing sweeping reports to facilitate accountability, as well as persuading more states and parties to ratify and abide by the Safe Schools Declaration.Al Khater believed that the Transforming Education Summit (TES) to be held in September 2022 in New York could be the appropriate place for all countries and stakeholders to exchange ideas and views on how to put education at the top of the political agenda to mobilize action and support to transform education in this changing world.She concluded that the responsibility to respect, protect and fulfill the right to education makes it necessary to adopt a multidimensional approach that places education at the top of priorities in terms of policy-making, financing, allocation and provision of assistance, stressing that this objective will only be reached through protecting schools, universities and all educational facilities from attacks and recognizing their civilian nature to ensure that they will always remain safe havens to promote peace, development and stability.
