Today the European Commission has announced a €52 million humanitarian aid package aimed specifically at educational projects for children in emergency situations in 2016. The package reflects the Commission’s prior commitment to allocate 4% of its humanitarian aid budget to education. The funding will support over 2,300,000 children in 42 countries around the world and will be targeted at regions where children are at higher risk of being left out of school or having their education disrupted: the Middle East (especially Syria and Iraq), East, Central and West Africa, Asia, Ukraine, Central America and Colombia.
“Today we fulfil and surpass our commitment to quadruple our support to education in emergencies from 1% to 4% of our humanitarian aid budget from €11 million in 2015 to €52 million in 2016. Investing in education now for children caught up in conflict zones and other emergencies is an investment against the risk of a lost generation and an investment for the future. I’m proud that the European Union is becoming a leader in this field. I also commend the European Parliament for its successful efforts to secure additional EU funds for this action and for its continuous support. I now call on all humanitarian donors to follow our example,” said EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides.
