Laura Frigenti, Chief Executive Officer of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE)
Doha, Qatar: Qatar’s leadership commitment and progressive approach to funding education have had a positive impact, particularly in enrolling out-of-school children in conflict-affected areas.
Qatar has traditionally been a strong advocate for education—not only through the personal commitment of the country's leadership but also through the efforts of the Education Above All (EAA) Foundation, which has specifically focused on reaching out-of-school children, said Laura Frigenti, Chief Executive Officer of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), in an interview with The Peninsula.
GPE, world's only partnership dedicated solely to funding education in developing countries and EAA Foundation, a global development and education foundation have has been working together for over a decade to give more children in crisis-affected countries in MENA and beyond the opportunity to learn and thrive so they can help build a better and more peaceful future.
“Qatar’s leadership, in particular H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser has been an advocate, a champion for this agenda in a time where few people speak about the importance of education. She does it at the highest possible level in global forum. Agendas need champions and it is very important,” she said adding that EAA Foundation plays a vital role in supporting children education.
Frigenti highlighted Qatar’s shift away from traditional grant-based funding towards a model focused on “additionality”—leveraging its own resources to attract further investment. She described the strategy as “particularly modern,” noting its significance at a time when global development efforts are facing financial fatigue and a growing demand for sustainable, self-reliant solutions.
In 2022, the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD), through EAA, pledged $20 million to GPE to help provide equitable, inclusive and quality education for millions of out-of-school children around the world.
Frigenti visited Qatar over the weekend before heading to Saudi Arabia for the second Human Capability Initiative conference.
In Qatar she met with representatives from two of GPE’s key partners EAA Foundation and QFFD and noted that the meetings reaffirmed Qatar’s strong commitment to education as a national and global priority. The discussions also reinforced the shared vision for the QFFD-EAA-GPE partnership, which aims to blend traditional grants with innovative financing approaches to support education efforts both within the region and globally. The partners expressed enthusiasm about unveiling the contours of this renewed approach at the World Summit for Social Development, set to take place in Qatar this November, alongside other regional stakeholders.
Frigenti further said the meeting was “very important” to discuss about joint efforts at this particular time in which the world and especially the region is witnessing unprecedented level of conflicts and Over 473 million children live in areas affected by conflict.
She said that many conflicts around the world have had a negative impact, but this particular region has been especially affected. These issues have undone a lot of the progress made in the 20 years before COVID. According to Frigenti, now is the time for everyone who believes in the power of education to come together and find ways to help improve the situation, despite how complex it is.
She said, “This is a particularly critical time, I would say for global development in general and education in particular. Needs are growing for so many reasons that if you want we can explore. Resources are declining significantly and very fast, leaving a sector that already had a big financing gap with an even bigger gap.”
Children are deeply impacted by conflict, often being taken out of school. This not only stops their education but also cuts them off from important services like food, healthcare, and emotional support. Schools offer children a sense of routine, community, and safety, so losing access to them harms their development and emotional well-being.
GPE’s primarily aims to minimize the time children are out of school, as prolonged absences make it harder for them to return.
"Going to school is something that gives the child a sense of normalcy, of belonging to a group, of a community. So being uprooted from that takes away so much from their ability to, how can I say, grow in a confident and positive way,” said Frigenti.
“So the effort of bringing them back to school as quickly as possible is very, very important, and that is one of the things that we actually share together with Qatar,” she added.
Since 2021, GPE has reached 253 million children and &05 of them live in partner countries affected by fragility and conflict.
GPE’s interferences have made significant difference in providing education to children in conflict zones. For example, in Yemen government-controlled areas, GPE has been instrumental in keeping the education system functioning—going as far as paying teacher salaries, which is typically considered a government responsibility. Special emphasis was placed on supporting girls’ education through the recruitment of 7,000 female teachers, helping families feel secure about sending their daughters to school.
GPE responded to the refugee crisis caused by the conflict in Sudan by providing additional resources to Chad to accommodate Sudanese children, including support for different language instruction and teacher recruitment. GPE works with NGOs inside Sudan to ensure continued access to education for those who remained in the country.
In Syriya amidst the destruction of over 7,000 schools during 14 years of war, GPE has been actively involved in rebuilding the education system, collaborating with both government bodies and other organizations—even prior to recent political changes.
Frigenti emphasised on that many emergencies, which initially seem temporary, become long-term situations—sometimes lasting for decades. In such cases, she says that emergency measures can't last forever.
Instead, she insisted on the need to shift focus to creating sustainable solutions, such as integrating refugees into local education systems, ensuring access to local labor markets, and preparing children for a transition from school to employment.
