Education Above All Signs Agreements With Government, United Nations and Local Partners

Published on : Tuesday, November 5, 2013

canneslionEducation Above All Foundation, a global initiative of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, signed a number of memoranda of understanding and strategic, advocacy and implementation agreements last week on the sidelines of the World Innovation Summit for Education, serving to accelerate the Educate A Child program’s reach to out of school children around the world.
Commenting on the developments, Dr. Mary Pigozzi, Director of the Educate A Child program, said: “We are pleased to have completed agreements with a wide range of bilateral funding agencies, UN organisations and affiliates and local partners. Given that the EAC model is based on partnership, these agreements further strengthen our ability to deliver projects on the ground that have significant impact on closing the access to education gap for out of school children.”
United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC)
EAA and UN Alliances of Civilizations will work together on programmes promoting intercultural dialogue and understanding. These efforts will highlight the importance of youth and education of out of school children as fundamental conditions for peace and development.
Commenting on the agreement, His Excellency Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, the UN High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations said: ”Education and Youth being two of the main pillars of focus at the mission of UNAOC, I am committed to supporting EAA under the leadership of Her Highness Sheikha Moza, in all its efforts to promote access to quality education for children across the globe. I am very pleased and honoured that we are joining EAA in the global efforts to help children build better future including children affected by poverty and conflict.“
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
Education Above All has also signed, on behalf of the EAC program, an agreement with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to provide emergency education support to over 67,000 Palestinian refugee children living in Syria or having fled to Jordan and Lebanon.
The agreement will enable UNRWA to palliate some of the effects of the armed conflict on UNRWA’s provision of schooling. The agreement focuses on three main activities over a two-year period – school feeding, psychosocial support and the running of mobile schools.
The Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Filippo Grandi, said: “This is an important agreement. With a number of the UNRWA schools in Syria housing Internally displaced Palestine refugees, many schools damaged, parents unwilling to send children to school for security reasons, and a large percentage of the population constantly on the move, UNRWA’s delivery of education to the overwhelming majority of Palestine refugee children in Syria is severely impaired. Thanks to this contribution from EAC led by Her Highness Sheikha Moza, UNRWA can now offer more emergency education and help to mitigate the long-term impact of the armed conflict on these children.”
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
“We are excited be working with Educate a Child and look forward to new opportunities for bringing learning to the hardest to reach of the 57 million children still missing out on an education worldwide,” said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake. “Whether in the midst of conflicts, in urban slums, or in far-flung villages, bringing education to children
requires innovation and determined action – both of which underpin this partnership”
Dr. Pigozzi, said: “As a new strategic partner UNICEF is very important for several reasons, including its reputation, geographic reach, advocacy power, and very large education staff that are posted around the globe. Educate a Child is committed to a meaningful and productive partnership with UNICEF, and enthusiastically supports the signing of this strategic Framework Agreement with Dr. Anthony Lake, Executive Director of UNICEF, at the WISE conference.”
German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
EAA, on behalf of the EAC program, and BMZ signed a memorandum of understanding to partner on the development of shared intellectual work on out of school children, possibly in the area of improved mapping of their locations. There is potential for EAC to link with some of BMZ’s operational programs in more than 20 countries where BMZ is present.
Hans-Jürgen Beerfeltz, BMZ’s State Secretary, said: “Educate A Child is a strategically highly important partner for us. Germany as the worldwide biggest bilateral donor in education and EAC will join forces in the final push to 2015 – and beyond – in helping out of school children gain better access to quality primary education. We are eager in building up a strong partnership in the area of research as well as looking into concrete joint
projects.”
Dr. Pigozzi, said: “It is excellent to foresee cooperation with one of the bilateral funding agencies. We look forward to the possibility of more concrete collaboration with BMZ, as we highly value this partnership.”
Doha Film Institute (DFI)
Doha Film Institute signed a memorandum of understanding to partner with EAC on supporting children who are currently out of school with a good level of education. A key priority of this partnership is to reinforce the sustainable solutions to help the local community and encourage dialogue to generate and build momentum.
Abdulaziz Al Khater, Chief Executive Officer, Doha Film Institute, said: “It is our honour to partner with Education Above All, an initiative that supports Qatar’s vision to promote education globally, especially among underprivileged children. Ensuring access to quality education worldwide is a crucial endeavour and we are proud to support this important initiative.

Doha Film Institute continues to draw on the power of education, particularly through the medium of film, to engage and mobilise communities. Our partnership will allow us to focus on taking Education Above All to a wider international audience and help fulfil its overall mission.”
In addition to the agreements signed, Education Above All premiered a new film highlighting the dynamics of the out of school issue and the growing global movement to address the problem, narrated by award-winning actress Meryl Streep.

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