Remarks at Launch of the 2022 Education Under Attack Report

The 2022 edition is the sixth in a series of publications examining the threat of, or actual use of, force against students, teachers, academics, other education personnel, or educational facilities and materials, as well as the military use of schools and universities. This edition builds on two studies published by UNESCO in 2007 and 2010, and three studies published by GCPEA in 2014, 2018, and 2020. The report profiles 28 conflict-affected countries with a systematic pattern of attacks on education and military use of educational facilities. In addition to the countries profiled in the report, GCPEA identified sporadic reports of attacks on education in over 45 other countries. The report examines trends in attacks on education related to Covid-19 in 2020 and 2021, as well as the gendered impacts of attacks on education. It also analyses the effects of explosive weapons use on schools and universities, which occurred in at least 25 countries in 2020 and the first half of 2021.

The event will underscore the extent and impact of targeted and indiscriminate violence against students, educators, and their schools and universities in conflict settings, present the report’s key findings and identify how the Safe Schools Declaration is contributing to preventing this violence and mitigating its effects.  To date, 114 states have joined the Declaration - an intergovernmental political commitment to protect education during armed conflict. The Declaration is an important tool that saves the lives of civilians, preserves the civilian character of educational facilities, and protects education from attack more generally.