Doha: Education Above All Foundation, along with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Qatar National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, Regulatory Authority for Charitable Activities, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco), United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), and Qatar Fund for Development, organised a high-level virtual event in Qatar on the sidelines of the first International Day for Protection of Education from Attack.
The event saw the participation of Minister of Education and Higher Education, H E Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulwahed Al Hammadi; Minister of Administrative Development, Labour & Social Affairs, H E Yousuf bin Mohamed Al Othman Fakhroo; and Director General of Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD), Khalifa bin Jassim Al Kuwari.
The speakers stressed the role of Qatar in supporting education issues and its commitment to making education available to millions of underprivileged children, achieving peace, development and protecting human rights.
This year marks the first International Day for Protection of Education from Attack, following a unanimous resolution passed by the United Nations General Assembly in May. The Day calls attention to the plight of children affected by armed conflict and natural disaster in desperate need of educational support and puts attacks on education at the top of the international agenda.
The Day was adopted by consensus after intense consultations led by the delegation of Qatar to the United Nations. Efforts to introduce the day were spearheaded by H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser as part of a decades-long commitment to protecting education in conflict and insecurity and ensuring children in developing countries can realise their fundamental right to education.
H H Sheikha Moza has successfully advocated for the adoption by the UN of a resolution on ‘The right to education in emergency situations’, which affirms the right to education in crisis and conflict. Her work with Security Council members contributed to the formulation of Security Council Resolution 1998, which makes attacks on schools a ‘trigger violation’ for the UN’s Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism for Children and Armed Conflict.
H E Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulwahed Al Hammadi, said, “The organization of this first International Day for Protection of Education from Attack, in recognition of the leadership role of H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, in support of education issues around the world, and in response to the initiative called for by Her Highness and adopted by the UN General Assembly by consensus adopted a resolution establishing 9th of September each year as an annual platform for the international community, to review the commitment to the mechanisms to protect education from attacks.”
H E Yousuf bin Mohamed Al Othman Fakhroo,said, “For decades, wars have destroyed many of the rights and dreams of peoples, which have created generations deprived of the simplest elements of life, and left many victims and heavy consequences for states and societies, from which only the focus on the human person can be restored through education and knowledge”.
Khalifa bin Jassim Al Kuwari, said, “The Qatar Fund for Development has made numerous contributions to support access to quality, safe and equitable education in emergency situations and in conflict and crisis and post-conflict areas in various aspects such as supporting formal and non-formal education, printing and distributing books, and technical training.”
