Global Action Week 2016 – Ensuring that no one is left behind

CBM

This year During Global Action Week (celebrated in the last week of April) ‘Global Campaign for Education’ (GCE) partners are asked to focus on Goal 4 of the new, universal Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) referring to Education.

Theme for 2016

The theme this year of ‘Ensuring that no one is left behind’, is central to CBM’s work in education and therefore crucial that it contributes to these discussions.

The focus now is on lobbying to support 12 years of free education (primary and secondary) for all boys and girls as well as to ensure that measures to support education include out-of-school children as well. The majority of boys and girls with disabilities are out of school in most low-middle-income countries, so unless they are included in the measurements and indicators, they will continue to be left behind.

 

Goal 4 of the Sustainable Development Goals

Goal 4 of the SDGs aims to attain inclusive and equitable quality education and promotion of life-long learning opportunities for all focuses on eliminating gender disparities in education and ensuring equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities. In addition, the proposal calls for building and upgrading education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and also provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all.

 

CBM contribution focusing on education

GCE and partners are contributing to the follow up and review as well as the mechanisms to ensure civil society participation in this process. As a member of GCE, CBM has contributed to a consultation by GCE and academic stakeholder partners (Education International, the International Council for Adult Education and the European Union of Students’ Union) about the way forward. A brief will be sent to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) for the High Level Political Forum in New York in July 2016.

Inclusive Education is our primary goal towards building an inclusive society. Education is the main pillar in human development, conditioning success in life, hence aiming for a disability-inclusive development through inclusive education is an important step to take. In inclusive education CBM believes that all children should be in school. Inclusion begins at birth. Therefore access to inclusive early education and care is essential for any child, particularly for the most marginalised: boys and girls with disabilities. Where there are no early education and early intervention programmes available, they need to be developed. 

CBM Germany activities

The German coalition (Globale Bildungskampagne, GBK) is focusing this year on education in the context of flight and migration, emphasizing the right to education even in situations of natural or man- made catastrophes (natural disasters, war and conflict etc.) for everyone and anywhere. We have thus chosen a different subject from the one of GCE worldwide, taking into consideration that awareness on the situation of refugees and migrants with regard to education needs to be raised and also taking into account that, in Germany and Europe, the “refugee crisis” is an issue of great concern, for now and the foreseeable future.

The Globale Bildungskampagne organized a public classroom at Brandenburger Tor in Berlin on April 26, with children of three different schools. 16 Members of Parliament of different parliamentary groups took part during the short event. Jan-Thilo Klimisch, CBM Germany Advocacy Officer, and his fellow spokesperson for the GBK, Dorothea Schönfeld (from Kindernothilfe) were leading the event. For example, a group of migrant/ refugee students (teenagers) performed a rap, expressing their hopes for education, integration and an eventual return to their home countries. Some Members of Parliament were interviewed by children of a Berlin primary school.

CBM Italy activities

CBM Italy has officially adhered to the Coalition and on the occasion of the Global Action Week has launched an ad hoc page on the website (in Italian), linking it with the national GCE website. Furthermore CBM Italy will continue coverage via social media.

In addition the Italian Coalition will organise a conference in October at the International Labour Office (ILO) in Turin - Italy on SDG 4 (Quality Education), where CBM Italy will contribute to the session on Inclusive Education from an international perspective.