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Improve the AU-EU strategic partnership by ensuring that education for all is at the centre

IDDC and 19 other organisations have joined forces ahead of the 6th Africa-EU Summit to call on the new and long-awaited strategic partnership between the African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU) to address the crisis in education that has occurred over the years and that has escalated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a joint open letter to the European and African leaders, we urged them to ensure:

  1. Quality inclusive education at all levels (from early childhood education, to primary, secondary and higher education, including technical, vocational education and training) is adequately addressed in the new EU-AU partnership, with significant investments to strengthen public education systems that respond to the needs of learners who face extra barriers accessing and thriving in education, such as children with disabilities, people with a migrant background, low-income families, women and girls. Considering current and projected shortages, investing in educators’ training and professional development, salaries and working conditions is of utmost importance.
  2. A comprehensive, ambitious plan to advance human development and social justice is developed, relying on three pillars: addressing structural inequalities, including gender inequalities; strengthening ties across policy sectors (e.g. education, health and rehabilitation, nutrition, social protection); and meeting funding commitments. We acknowledge that this demand comes from across sectors and civil society groups, which further demonstrates the indispensability of such a plan.
  3. Civil society is recognised as a key partner and is consulted during the preparations leading up to the Summit, is meaningfully involved and has access to information regarding the design, the implementation and evaluation of the new Africa-EU partnership.