ECW Announces New US$1 Million Investment to INEE

Around the world today, 224 million crisis-affected girls and boys are impacted by armed conflicts, climate-induced disasters and forced displacement, and in urgent need of quality education.

To accelerate the impact of Education Cannot Wait’s (ECW) investments in over 40 crisis-affected countries, the Fund announced today a US$1 million grant to the Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE). This 36-month Acceleration Facility grant will bring together diverse stakeholders, know-how and technical resources to inform public policies and share best practices to scale-up impact across ECW’s broad global portfolio of programmes – which have already reached close to 9 million children. 

“Education Cannot Wait and INEE share the firm conviction that learners in crisis contexts deserve to thrive, not just survive. INEE has been instrumental in advancing the right to quality education in emergencies and protracted crises through powerful advocacy, standard setting, knowledge sharing, and capacity building of practitioners. Through this innovative partnership, we are strengthening capacities on the ground to improve the quality and impact of our investments and support holistic education for children in the world’s toughest contexts,” said Yasmine Sherif, Executive Director of ECW, the UN global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises.

This work will leverage the expertise and experience of INEE’s diverse community of more than 20,000 members in 190 countries, including affected populations. INEE is an open, global network of education in emergencies stakeholders working together within a humanitarian and development framework to ensure the right to a quality, safe and equitable education. Through this investment, INEE will strengthen and expand its technical platforms, programmes, and services to better support the sector, promote the contextualization, uptake, and use of the INEE Minimum Standards for Education, and expand INEE’s overall reach and impact.

“The partnership between INEE and ECW is long-standing and enduring, including the advocacy undertaken by INEE members for a dedicated fund focused on education in emergencies. As the world faces fast growing, multifaceted crises due to climate change, disasters, increased conflict and instability, and new health emergencies, including those crises that continue long beyond the headlines, this partnership matters more than ever. ECW’s investment is critical to supporting INEE as it works to fulfill its mission: To ensure the right to a quality, safe and relevant education for all who live in emergency and crisis contexts through prevention, preparedness, response and recovery,” said Dean Brooks, INEE Director.

The grant will contribute to three main outcomes. Firstly, the new investment will strengthen inclusive global and regional policies, approaches, and standards. It will also support stronger global and regional coordination. Finally, the grant will promote improved analysis, sharing, and learning from quality data and evidence.

With INEE’s broad network of stakeholders – which includes those working in areas of policy, practice, academia, and funding, as well as youth, teachers, students and others in affected populations – the entire sector benefits from this investment in expanding INEE’s invaluable platforms, programmes, and services.

As needs continue to rise, so must the international community’s collective response and investment in solutions. This new grant brings the total ECW investments through its Acceleration Facility window to over $25 million. The Acceleration Facility is ECW’s funding mechanism dedicated to supporting the creation of global public goods and technical resources for the entire sector.

This latest investment is a key part of ECW’s Strategic Plan to mobilize US$1.5 billion over the next three years to reach 20 million crisis-impacted children. Promoting greater cross-sectoral connection and collaboration supports the goal of increased access to education and improved learning in crisis contexts.

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About Education Cannot Wait (ECW):
Education Cannot Wait (ECW) is the United Nations global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises. We support quality education outcomes for refugee, internally displaced and other crisis-affected girls and boys, so no one is left behind. ECW works through the multilateral system to both increase the speed of responses in crises and connect immediate relief and longer-term interventions through multi-year programming. ECW works in close partnership with governments, public and private donors, UN agencies, civil society organizations, and other humanitarian and development aid actors to increase efficiencies and end siloed responses. ECW urgently appeals to public and private sector donors for expanded support to reach even more vulnerable children and youth.

On X (formerly Twitter), please follow: @EduCannotWait, @YasmineSherif1, @KentPage
Additional information available at: www.educationcannotwait.org
 

About INEE
Founded in 2000 on the fundamental right to education, the Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) is the preeminent member-driven network of EiE stakeholders and professionals. Our members work together within a humanitarian and development framework to ensure that all individuals have the right to a quality, safe, relevant, and equitable education in line with the INEE Minimum Standards for Education. We do this through creating and sharing technical guidance and tools, expanding access to current evidence, and elevating the voices of diverse actors and affected populations. As an open, global network, INEE exists for and because of its members. INEE’s more than 20,000 individual members are affiliated with more than 4,000 organizations and institutions in 190 countries and include NGO and UN personnel, ministry of education and other government staff, local and regional CSO representatives, students, teachers, youth, caregivers, funding partners and researchers. INEE serves its members through building community, convening diverse stakeholders, managing knowledge, amplifying and advocating, facilitating and learning, and providing members with technical resources and guidance to carry out their EiE work. INEE is not a funding organization; it does not provide any form of financial disbursement, grants, contributions, scholarships, or travel funds to individuals or organizations. We do support our members through information and tools sharing, and we encourage the free use of INEE materials in all education in emergencies work.
Follow INEE on: Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube and LinkedIn.
Become an INEE member (free of charge): inee.org/register 
Additional information available at: inee.org 

For press inquiries:
Anouk Desgroseilliers, [email protected], +1-917-640-6820
Kent Page, [email protected], +1-917-302-1735
For other inquiries: [email protected]