Global Partnership for Education Sets $3.5 Billion Target to Support Education for All


RESULTS calls on the U.S. government to pledge $250 million over two years

Washington, DC, February 27, 2014 — The Global Partnership for Education aims to raise $3.5 billion to support quality education for 16 million of the poorest and most vulnerable children worldwide, its board announced yesterday. As the only multilateral partnership exclusively dedicated to education for all, the Global Partnership for Education will ask donors to make funding commitments at a pledging conference in June. Echoing recent requests from Congress, civil society organizations are calling on the U.S. government to step forward at the conference with a two-year, $250 million commitment.

“The international community has veered off course in our pursuit of quality education for all. The Global Partnership for Education’s pledging conference is our chance to get back on track,” said Joanne Carter, Executive Director of RESULTS and RESULTS Educational Fund. “By investing $250 million over the next two years in the Global Partnership, the U.S. can help build lasting education systems to reach the poorest and most vulnerable children worldwide.”

The world made unprecedented progress on access to education in the early 2000s, cutting the number of children out of school nearly in half. But progress on education has stalled since 2008, paralleling a decline in financial support from donor countries, including the United States. Still today, 57 million primary school age children are out of school, and nearly 40 percent of all primary school age children cannot read or write.

In January, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon designated the United States a Global Education First Initiative Champion Country. As a Champion Country, the United States has agreed to provide annual contributions to the Global Partnership for Education, but it has yet to contribute at a level commensurate with its leadership role.

Civil society and members of Congress have asked the Administration to invest at least $125 million annually in the Global Partnership. A two-year, $250 million commitment in June would answer that call and position the United States closer to other donors like the United Kingdom and Australia.

Since 2002, the Global Partnership for Education has helped enroll over 22 million students in school in nearly 60 of the world’s poorest countries. Under the leadership of CEO Alice Albright, the Global Partnership brings together donors, ministries of education, community leaders, and the private sector to create long-term, sustainable solutions to education. Thanks to this model, places like Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and post-conflict Afghanistan are now implementing their first-ever national education plans. Demand for the Global Partnership’s support is on the rise as more countries see its success catalyzing long-term, effective education systems.

“The Global Partnership for Education is doing what no one else has: bringing the right people together to develop sustainable solutions in some of the most challenging environments,” said Carter. “What the U.S. invests in the Global Partnership today will pay dividends in the lives of millions of children for years to come.”

More than 90 percent of education financing today comes from developing country governments themselves, but U.S. and other donor support can help bridge the gaps that remain in poor and conflict-affected countries. At yesterday’s meeting, the Global Partnership for Education Board, chaired by former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, approved a new approach to target donor resources for maximum impact.

“The Global Partnership for Education is uniquely positioned to translate donor investments into education systems that work for the poorest countries,” said Carter. “We cannot end poverty without investing in education, and for the sake of the world’s children, we cannot afford to wait any longer.”

RESULTS and RESULTS Educational Fund
RESULTS and RESULTS Educational Fund are sister organizations that, together, are a leading force in ending poverty in the United States and around the world. We create long-term solutions to poverty by supporting programs that address its root causes — lack of access to medical care, education, or opportunity to move up the economic ladder. We do this by empowering ordinary people to become extraordinary voices for the end of poverty in their communities, the media, and the halls of government. The collective voices of these passionate grassroots activists, coordinated with grass-tops efforts driven by our staff, leverage millions of dollars for programs and improved policies that give low-income people the tools they need to move out of poverty.

Contact:
Colin Smith
[email protected]
+1 202.783.4800 x.139

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