杏MAP导航

By Vatican News

As the world celebrates the first International Day to Protect Education from Attack on Wednesday, 杏MAP导航 Francis appealed to the international community to ensure educational structures are protected from attacks.

鈥淚 invite you to pray for students who are seriously deprived of the right to education due to war and terrorism,鈥� he said during his weekly General Audience on Wednesday in the Vatican.

鈥淚 urge the international community to do its utmost so that the structures that must protect young students be respected,鈥� he said, speaking in Italian.  鈥淢ay efforts that guarantee safe environments for their education not wain, above all in situations of humanitarian crises,鈥� he added.

The UN

The September-9 International Day to Protect Education from Attack was established on May 2020 by a unanimous decision of the UN General Assembly, calling on UNESCO and UNICEF to raise awareness of the plight of millions of children living in countries affected by conflict. The resolution proclaiming the Day was presented by the State of Qatar and co-sponsored by 62 countries.

The Day draws attention to the plight of more than 75 million 3-to-18-year-olds living in 35 crisis-affected countries and to their urgent need of educational support.

鈥淎s the world fights to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, children and youth in conflict zones remain among the most vulnerable to its devastating impact,鈥� said UN Secretary-General António Guterres in a message for the day.  鈥淲e must ensure our children have a safe and secure environment in which to learn the knowledge and skills they need for the future,鈥� he said.

UNESCO

The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) also added its voice insisting, 鈥渟chools must remain safe places, free of conflict and violence鈥�. 鈥淥ur collective future as well as the achievements of all development goals depend on it,鈥� said UNESCO Director-General, Audrey Azoulay.  鈥淪afeguarding the right to education for all,鈥� she said, 鈥渃ontributes to the achievement of sustainable development and nurtures the international community鈥檚 decades-long gains towards peace, economic prosperity, and social inclusion worldwide.鈥欌��

UNICEF

According to the UN Children鈥檚 Fund, UNICEF, 鈥淎ttacks on schools are a violation of humanity and basic decency. We must not allow these senseless attacks to destroy the hopes and dreams of a generation of children,鈥� said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore.  鈥淲e must do all in our power to ensure that schools and the children and teachers within them are protected,鈥欌�� she said. 鈥淎s the world begins planning to re-open schools once the COVID-19 pandemic subsides,鈥� she urged that "schools remain safe places of learning, even in countries in conflict".

Did you know?

- More than 22,000 students, teachers, and academics were injured, killed, or harmed in attacks on education during armed conflict or insecurity over the past five years.

- Between 2015 and 2019, 93 countries experienced at least one reported attack on education.

- Students and educators were most frequently harmed by direct attacks in Afghanistan, Cameroon, and Palestine.

- Armed forces, other state actors, and armed groups used schools and universities for military purposes in 34 countries between 2015 and 2019, including as bases, detention centers, and weapons stores.

- In the past five years, state armed forces or armed groups reportedly recruited students from schools in 17 countries.   (Source: Education under Attack 2020)