RET and INEE Collaborate to Improve Advocacy
This 15 October, 23 experts from 16 organisations, engaged in youth education such as UNESCO, the Global Education Cluster, UNHCR, INEE or the Youth Advocacy Group of the Education First Initiative, convened in RET’s offices in Geneva sharing a common concern: will youth education in fragile contexts be taken into account in the Post-2015 Agenda.
The MDGs and the Education For All Goals established at the turn of the millennium have shaped and driven the global education agenda for nearly 15 years. The resources of the international community have been allocated in accordance and on the ground this has shaped priorities. Youth education in fragile situations was not among the priorities and has therefore not received the attention it deserves.
In 2015 a new set of development goals are to be defined: the Post-2015 goals. As this deadline is approaching fast it is essential to provide the final push to ensure youth education in fragile contexts is taken into account. Failing this, the plight of countless vulnerable young people may once again be set aside.
INEE and RET thus organised the Round Table driven by the necessity to improve advocacy on this issue. For any form of advocacy to be efficient, it is essential to agree on a common set of priorities. Defining these key advocacy messages was therefore the explicit goal of this event.
The quality of the discussions allowed the main priorities to emerge among all the insights and preoccupations put forward by participants. During the month following the Round Table, a consultation process with the participants resulted in three short messages designed to be clear and concise tools for future advocacy. They have been formulated using the 3 P’s (Plan, Prioritise and Protect) of the Education Cannot Wait Campaign (www.ineesite.org/fr/resources/2013-education-cannot-wait-call-to-action) in order to build on existing efforts. They read as follows:
Plan
Adequately funded education sector plans must include young people’s needs, focusing on the positive role which empowered youth play in helping their communities mitigate crisis and move towards development.
Prioritise
Diversified and holistic educational pathways must be provided in order to address the large array of needs, while simultaneously harnessing the potential of young people in all circumstances, including in crisis and fragile situations.
Protect
Engaging youth in decision-making processes is an efficient way for them to develop the life skills necessary to confront the threats brought forth in conflict and fragile environments.
The final result is a two-page document in which each message is accompanied by a short text presenting its underlying arguments. You may download a pdf version of the document by clicking on the link below.
This tool offers a solid base for any concerned organisation or individual engaged in advocacy efforts. We all have our expertise and specific concerns, but to make advocacy efficient core common concerns have to be clearly and concisely stated. Feel free to use these messages, share them with the broadest audience possible and contact us should you have any questions (youth-roundtable@theRET.org).