Initiative to Develop Minimum Standards for Education in Emergencies

This effort is motivated by the belief that "Standards serve as a platform for defining good practice and also provide a powerful advocacy tool both inside humanitarian organizations and externally with governments, donors and populations affected by conflict." INEE states that children's lives can be saved in times of crisis through education programmes; thus, ensuring a certain level of quality and accountability among those programmes is crucial. Furthermore, "education cannot remain 'outside' the mainstream humanitarian debate but must be seen as a priority humanitarian response."

This project is at its centre a collaboration, participatory initiative using face-to-face consultation, online and Internet exchange, and printed materials. The consultative process is part of a strategy for strengthening the education and humanitarian community through discussions on best practice. Information gathered from each step is used to inform the next phase of the process as part of a model that emphasises transparent, cost-effective, and collaborative decision-making.

In the course of the consultation, approximately 2,250 individuals from over 50 countries contributed experiences and ideas. To begin, 137 delegates (representatives from affected populations, as well as international and local non-governmental organisations (NGOs), governments, and UN agencies) worked with INEE members to coordinate over 110 local, national and sub-regional consultations in 47 countries, gathering input and information from NGO, government, and UN representatives; donors; academics; and over 1,900 representatives from affected communities, including students, teachers, and other education personnel.

Then, between January and May 2004, four 3-day regional consultations on minimum standards for education in emergencies were held:

1. Africa Collective Consultation - held in Nairobi, Kenya
2. Asia Collective Consultation - held in Kathmandu, Nepal
3. Latin America and Caribbean Collective Consultation - held in Panama City, Panama
4. Middle East, North Africa and Europe Collective Consultation - held in Amman, Jordan

Delegates at the regional consultations built upon the standards, indicators and guidance notes developed at the national and local consultations, as well as over 100 INEE list-serve responses, to develop regional minimum standards. These personnel worked on education, health and protection issues in emergency, chronic crises and early reconstruction situations - both conflict and natural disasters. The final reports from these regional consultations are available, in various languages, on the INEE website. The peer review process that took place during the summer of 2004 involved more than 40 experts who analysed and honed the regional standards into one set of global standards.

Based on this consultation process, a 78-page handbook entitled "Minimum Standards for Education in Emergencies, Chronic Crises and Early Reconstruction" [PDF] was produced. The free handbook is intended to be a tool for advocacy with governments and donor institutions, to support education in emergencies and early reconstruction. The standards are built on the foundations of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the Dakar Education for All (EFA) framework, the UN Millennium 6 Minimum Standards for Education in Emergencies Development Goals (MDG) and the Sphere Project's Humanitarian Charter (click here for a summary of the related Sphere Project). The CRC, MDG and EFA state the right to quality education for all, including those affected by emergencies. It is hoped that the handbook will support global efforts to achieve a minimum level of educational access and provision to fulfill that right.

Launched at INEE's Second Global Inter-Agency Consultation on Education in Emergencies and Early Recovery (December 2-4 2004 in Cape Town, South Africa - click here to read more), the minimum standards will be accompanied by broad and sustained outreach and awareness-raising initiatives about the standards and the protection that education in emergencies can afford to communities in crisis. A third phase of this initiative in 2005 will focus on the promotion, implementation, and institutionalisation of the standards around the world.

Emergency, Conflict, Education, Rights, Overseas Development Assistance.

INEE explains that "The dramatic rise in the number of education programs in emergency situations is indisputable...an overwhelming number of children's lives have been protected and restored to normalcy through education programs implemented by a range of leading humanitarian agencies." Nonetheless, INEE reports that "Well over 30 million children and youth are still estimated to be out of school due to conflict and hundreds of thousands more lack access to education due to natural disasters."

To receive a hard copy of the minimum standards, please send a request (specifying handbook and/or CD-Rom) to the INEE Focal Point on Minimum Standards atallison@theirc.org