At the end of 2017, approximately 85% of the world’s refugees were hosted in developing regions, with more than one quarter in least developed countries. The average period of living in forced displacement is 26 years. Of the world’s nearly 25.4 million refugees, over half are under the age of 18.

What are the different approaches used to provide quality education for refugee and displaced populations by host countries in the Global South? What are the specific challenges of integrating refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs) in the national education systems of these countries? How does the international community support these host countries and what are the financial implications and risks involved?

The 2019 Educaid.be conference aims to contribute to the understanding of these complex issues by inviting experts from international organisations and civil society.

The conference will open with the official launch in Belgium of the 2019 GEM Report “Migration, displacement and education: Building bridges not walls”. This report examines the impact of all population movements for employment and education.

A panel of international experts will then provide their perspective on the challenges and approaches to providing quality education to displaced people worldwide. In the afternoon, three parallel sessions will zoom in on educational responses to the Syria crisis and concrete approaches from Uganda and Rwanda.

The closing address will be given by the United Nations’ Special Rapporteur on the right to education, Dr Koumbou Boly Barry.

Educaid.be’s annual conferences aim to enrich discussion on education issues within international cooperation by giving the floor to academics and researchers, policy makers and practitioners from all over the world.

PROGRAMME

8:30-9:00

Registration and coffee

9:00-9:15

Welcome & Introduction

Educaid.be

9:15-9:45

Keynote: Migration, displacement and education: Building bridges not walls – findings of the 2019 GEM Report

Anna Cristina D'Addio
Anna Cristina D'Addio
Senior Policy Analyst, Global Education Monitoring Report, UNESCO
9:45-10:00

Video testimonies

10:00-11:15

Panel: Financing and coordinating education for refugees and displaced people

Moderator: Gie Goris, MO*

Yasmine Sherif
Yasmine Sherif
Director, Education Cannot Wait (ECW)
Stijn De Lameillieure
Stijn De Lameillieure
Education Advisor, European Commission, DG International Cooperation and Development (DG DEVCO)
Aggrey Kibenge
Aggrey Kibenge
Under-Secretary, Ministry of Education and Sports of Uganda
11:15-11:45

Coffee break

11:45-13:00

Panel: Ensuring access to quality education for refugees and displaced people – global mechanisms and tools

Moderator: Gie Goris, MO*

Dominique Marlet
Dominique Marlet
Senior Coordinator, Human and Trade Union Rights and Equality Unit, Education International
Therese Curran
Therese Curran
Education Specialist, Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)
Representing INEE, Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies
Cleopatra Chipuriro
Cleopatra Chipuriro
Education Cluster Coordinator (Iraq)
13:00-14:00

Lunch

14:00-16:00

Parallel sessions

SESSION A

Focus on the education response to the Syria crisis

Since the onset of the crisis in 2011, 5.6 million Syrians fled their country, the majority of them finding refuge in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan. Another 6.6 million people were internally displaced inside Syria, and almost 3 million live in hard to reach or besieged areas. This session invites education experts from the region to better understand the education challenges of and response to the crisis both inside Syria and in the neighbouring countries.

Moderator: Iris Uyttersprot, Enabel

Session in English with simultaneous translation in French

Jeannette Vogelaar
Jeannette Vogelaar
Regional Advisor Education, Middle East and North Africa Regional Office, UNICEF
Therese Curran
Therese Curran
Education Specialist, Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)
Racha Nasreddine
Racha Nasreddine
Syria Country Director, British Council - Language for Resilience
SESSION B

Focus on Uganda: VET and skills development for refugees

Uganda is currently hosting more than 1,2 million refugees and continues to receive arrivals from South Sudan, DR Congo and Burundi. In September 2018, the country launched the Education Response Plan for Refugees and Host Communities in Uganda. This session focuses specifically on skills development for refugees and host communities, based on national policies, planning and practices.

Moderator: Maud Seghers, VVOB

Session in English without translation

Aggrey Kibenge
Aggrey Kibenge
Under-Secretary, Ministry of Education and Sports of Uganda
Freda Bella Anek
Freda Bella Anek
Skills Development Fund Manager, Enabel Uganda
SESSION C

Focus on Rwanda: Formal and informal education for Congolese and Burundian refugees

Rwanda today counts some 145,000 refugees, mostly from the DR Congo and Burundi. Half of them are children under the age of 18. This session will elaborate on the integration of refugee children in the Rwandan education system on the one hand, and informal training programmes aimed at empowering girls and reducing gender-based violence in refugee camps on the other.

Moderator: Line Kuppens, VVOB

Session in English and French without translation

Jean Paul Sebisogo
Jean Paul Sebisogo
Head Teacher, Paysannat L School Group
Sharon Chikanya
Sharon Chikanya
Project Manager, Plan International Rwanda
16:00-16:30

Closing address

Koumbou Boly-Barry
Koumbou Boly Barry
United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education
16:30-17:30

Reception

#findme

Education and displacement. A recap of the 2019 Educaid.be annual conference

The 2019 Educaid.be conference brought experts from across the world and academic spectrum to Brussels to consider the best ways forward for refugee children and their education.