Last week, our Coordinator, Ponke Danker, participated as one of the observers for the civil society constituencies at the June Board meeting of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) in Paris.
At this crucial moment for global education financing, it was a valuable opportunity to observe first-hand the decision-making processes behind one of the world’s most important education funds and to engage with a wide range of stakeholders from across the global education community.
GPE is central to the global education architecture, having mobilised more than US$11 billion for education to date, helping countries strengthen education systems and expanding access to learning for hundreds of millions of children. The partnership is currently undertaking its replenishment for the next five-year funding period.
Civil society holds six seats on the GPE Board. One of them is the constituency representing international NGOs and national education coalitions across Europe and North America. Observing the Board proceedings was a privilege, providing valuable insight into several important discussions and decisions.
A significant conversation on governance was launched, opening space for further discussions on strengthening representation, including the potential inclusion of youth representation on the Board. The approval of GPE’s 2030 Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Work Programme promises to strengthen impact and results across the partnership. And a thematic discussion on education in fragile and conflict-affected contexts highlighted the importance of complementarity between GPE and Education Cannot Wait (ECW) as well as the need for flexible and inclusive approaches and stronger coherence and coordination across humanitarian and development approaches at country level.
As GPE is navigating a challenging international financing environment, it was great to learn that planning is underway for a range of funding scenarios to ensure that the partnership can continue to maximise impact even under more constrained resource conditions. In the meantime, there remains a significant opportunity for donors to make commitments over the coming months. In this context, it is encouraging that Germany, Spain and Australia have already announced early pledges amounting to approximately US$500 million, alongside US$62 million in publicly announced philanthropic commitments. France has also reiterated its strong political support for GPE, with a significant contribution expected to be confirmed in September.
We look forward to the replenishment summit approaching in late September and encourage all donors, including Ireland, to make meaningful commitments to both GPE and ECW. Sustained investment in global education is essential to ensuring that all children, including those affected by poverty, conflict and crisis, can access equitable, inclusive and safe quality education.
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