ROME, JUNE 9 – Italy has renewed its commitment to the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) by pledging 25 million euros towards the “Raise your Hand” campaign. Through “Raise your Hand,” the GPE aims to raise over $5 billion to transform the education systems in 90 low-income countries, thus increasing educational opportunities for over 1 billion children around the world.
“The commitment represents a significant increase compared to Italy’s previous contribution of 12 million euros in 2018,” reports the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “The contribution confirms Italy as a key partner of the GPE and underlines the country’s prioritization of education in the context of development cooperation.”
“We strongly believe that investing in education, especially in the education of young women, means investing in the future of countries and in peaceful, just, and inclusive societies,” Deputy of Foreign Affairs Marina Sereni affirmed. She shared these ideas at the online webinar for the “Role of Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships in Promoting Global Education” organized by Save the Children-Italy, a Humanitarian Aid Organization which aims to protect children’s rights to education, health, and safety.
Sereni then added, “Italy recognizes the extraordinary results achieved by the GPE in guaranteeing quality education to millions of children around the world, especially for those in the most fragile and vulnerable contexts. Despite all our efforts, there is still a lot to do, and that is why Italy has decided to increase its political and financial support for the GPE.”
The 25 million euro contribution will be spent over the next five years on various initiatives. As prioritized by the Italian Cooperation, 12.5 million will be dedicated to the education of young women in Africa.
“Italy has been a long-standing GPE partner,” said Alice Albright, Chief Executive Officer of GPE. “Their increased contribution to the GPE “Raise Your Hand” comes at a critical time for global education. Millions of young students will never return to the classroom because of COVID-19. We must continue to build strong, resilient and quality education systems that can respond to future crises and ensure that all children remain in school.”
Covid-19 has drastically worsened education prospects for millions of children. At the height of the pandemic-related closures, 1.6 billion children were prevented from attending school, consequently sending them to work instead of to class. As a result, about 24 million students are at risk of dropping out permanently. Girls, children from poor families, and children with disabilities are at the greatest risk. As the economic fallout of Covid-19 continues to squeeze government budgets, countries require urgent support to ensure the necessary resources for quality education for every child. GPE funding will help countries make transformative reforms, address bottlenecks in their education systems, train teachers, invest in new and innovative curricula and find new ways of delivering education to the children most at risk of being left behind.
The “Raise Your Hand” campaign will culminate at the Global Education Summit, in London on 28-29 July where countries will contribute 5-year pledges, such as that given by Italy, in support of the global education initiative. The Global Education Summit: Financing GPE 2021-2025 will be hosted by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. (BrittanyBriantF)
