On the second International Day to Protect Education from Attack, H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Education Above All (EAA) Foundation and UN Sustainable Development Goals Advocate, joined global leaders to call for an end to the heinous destruction of education.
Speaking at the virtual high-level event, ‘Protect Education for Sustainable Peace,’ Sheikha Moza said that aggressors deliberately strip people of their histories and cultural legacy, and she stressed that they must answer for their actions and pay for the damage they cause.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, UN Secretary-General António Guterres and several high level global leaders, decision makers and others took part in the virtual event organised by EAA Foundation, the State of Qatar, Unesco, Unicef, and the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children.
There were nearly 2,400 attacks on education in 2020, more than 30 percent increase than the previous year.
“When they bomb buildings, smash monuments and uproot trees, attackers strip societies of their history, destroy their present, and obliterate their future,” said H H Sheikha Moza..
H H Sheikha Moza added: “The students and staff who are killed or injured in these attacks are not collateral damage; they are victims of deliberate attacks, targeted in the very spaces where they should be safe to learn and teach.”
H H Sheikha Moza also said that aggressors seek, not only to destroy the lives, but to annihilate the very history of those they attack.
“Those who attack education are criminals. Criminals who steal far more than reading, writing and arithmetic.
Such criminals should be held accountable. And yet, right now they get away with murder.
“When perpetrators make a premeditated choice to destroy education, to erase culture, and to end any possibility of peace, they should answer for their actions” said H H Sheikha Moza. “Today is our rallying point.
It is time for the international community to demand action and bring those who commit attacks on education to justice.”
The UN General Assembly through a resolution established the International Day to Protect Education from Attack on September 9. The Resolution, spearheaded by H H Sheikha Moza.
The virtual event on Second International Day to Protect Education from Attack, also saw the launch of EAA’s new data project with Unesco, which aims to help in ending attacks on education.
“We deeply believe in education’s transformative power. Therefore, it is of key importance that we ensure the continuation of education during armed conflict, and to provide and facilitate international cooperation and assistance programmes, working to prevent or respond to attacks on education. This is not an option, but an imperative,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
He emphasised the importance of prioritising education for girls in areas of conflict, saying that danger surrounding girls and their dignity increases when they don’t go to school.
The Minister also stressed upon Qatar’s interest in having children and young people in Afghanistan get access to education.
“The State of Qatar is deeply concerned with children’s and youth access to education, and we are doing our utmost to support them. For instance, a group of 111 Afghan school girls attending a special leadership school in Kabul, sponsored by the Government of the State of Qatar, were able to fly out to Doha. Members of Afghanistan’s famous girls’ robotic team are also in Qatar. They were flown out of Kabul to Doha with the assistance of the Qatari government. They will be given the chance to continue their education and robotics work,” he said.
“We are as well working continuously with our international partners to protect civilians in Afghanistan in the context of the current political situation in the country, including students and scholars, citizens of friendly countries and journalists who are seeking to leave Afghanistan by providing safe passage to travel to Doha and beyond,” he added.
The International Day to Protect Education from Attack offers a unique annual opportunity to stimulate awareness and increased global advocacy to protect education from attack and ensure accountability for the continued, deliberate attacks on education and the prevalent armed violence experienced by learners and education staff worldwide.
The virtual event on second International Day to Protect Education from Attack also featured several other, world leaders, UN high-level officials, children and youth voice their support for global, united action against attacks on education, emphasising the importance of schools as essential safe spaces that empower and enable children to reach their full potential, allowing them to contribute to the economic prosperity of their communities.
