EU to spend more aid funds on children in crisis-hit situations

18 May 18

The European Union will increase spending for education in emergencies to 10% of its overall humanitarian aid budget from 2019.

The policy framework announced on Friday will aim to bring children in crisis-hit locations back to learning within three months.

Christos Stylianides, commissioner for humanitarian aid and crisis management, said: “We have a responsibility to act to prevent lost generations. Our new policy will allow us to help children better and quicker than before, even in the most difficult situations.

“The EU is now a global leader in bringing children back to school. Eight per cent of our humanitarian aid budget goes to education in emergencies this year, eight times up from 2015.

“We aim to reach 10% in 2019.”

The framework sets out four key priorities: improving access to learning opportunities for children and young people, providing quality education and training, ensuring that education is protected from attacks, and introducing rapid and innovative education responses.

The EU’s largest humanitarian programme for education in emergencies is worth €84m and is ongoing in Tukey to help put refugee children into school, through the Conditional Cash Transfer for Education.

Overall, more than 5.5 million girls and boys have benefited from €265m of funding since 2016.

In addition, more than €1.5bn has been mobilised by the EU in the context of the Syrian crisis since 2011.

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