Safe Schools Declaration

The Safe Schools Declaration is an inter-governmental political commitment that was opened for endorsement by countries at an international conference held in Oslo, Norway, on 28 May 2015.[1][2][3][4][5][6] The Declaration provides countries the opportunity to express political support for the protection of students, teachers, and schools during times of armed conflict; the importance of the continuation of education during armed conflict; and the implementation of the Guidelines for Protecting Schools and Universities from Military Use during Armed Conflict.[5][7][8]

As of July 2017, 68 countries have endorsed the Safe Schools Declaration, which remains open for additional countries to join.[9][10][11] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway is the depositary of endorsements.[12][13]

On March 28-29, 2017, the ministries of foreign affairs and defense of Argentina co-hosted the Second International Safe Schools Conference in Buenos Aires.[14]

Drafting

The Safe Schools Declaration was developed through consultations with states led by the ministries of foreign affairs of Norway and Argentina between January and May 2015.[11][15]

Representatives from more than 60 countries attended the conference launching the Safe Schools Declaration in 2015, along with the Norwegian Foreign Minister Børge Brende, Norwegian Defence Minister Ine Marie Eriksen Søreide, and Ziauddin Yousafzai the father of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai.[5][8][16]

Representatives from more than 80 countries attended the second Safe Schools Conference in Buenos Aires in 2017.[17]

Contents and Commitments

"The impact of armed conflict on education presents urgent humanitarian, development and wider social challenges. Worldwide, schools and universities have been bombed, shelled and burned, and children, students, teachers and academics have been killed, maimed, abducted or arbitrarily detained. Educational facilities have been used by parties to armed conflict as, inter alia, bases, barracks or detention centres. Such actions expose students and education personnel to harm, deny large numbers of children and students their right to education and so deprive communities of the foundations on which to build their future. In many countries, armed conflict continues to destroy not just school infrastructure, but the hopes and ambitions of a whole generation of children."
– Opening paragraph of Safe Schools Declaration[7]

The Safe Schools Declaration describes the immediate and long-term consequences of attacks on students, teachers, schools, and universities, and the military use of schools and universities, during times of armed conflict. It contrasts this with the positive and protective role that education can have during armed conflict.[7]

By joining the Declaration, states formally endorse the Guidelines for Protecting Schools and Universities from Military Use during Armed Conflict and commit to “bring them into domestic policy and operational frameworks as far as possible and appropriate.”[7]

The Declaration also contains a number of other commitments aimed at strengthening the prevention of, and response to, attacks on education during armed conflict, including by: collecting reliable data on attacks and military use of schools and universities; providing assistance to victims of attacks; investigating allegations of violations of national and international law and prosecuting perpetrators where appropriate; developing and promoting “conflict sensitive” approaches to education; seeking to continue education during armed conflict; and supporting the work of the United Nations on the children and armed conflict agenda.[7]

Lastly, the Declaration is a framework for collaboration and exchange, as endorsing states also agree to meet on a regular basis to review implementation of the Declaration and use of the Guidelines.[7]

Endorsements

As of July 2017, the following 68 states had endorsed the Declaration:[9][10]

  1.  Afghanistan
  2.  Albania
  3.  Angola
  4.  Argentina
  5.  Armenia
  6.  Andorra
  7.  Austria
  8.  Belgium
  9.  Botswana
  10.  Brazil
  11.  Bulgaria
  12.  Canada
  13.  Central African Republic
  14.  Chad
  15.  Chile
  16.  Costa Rica
  17.  Cote d'Ivoire
  18.  Cyprus
  19.  Czech Republic
  20.  Democratic Republic of Congo
  21.  Denmark
  22.  Ecuador
  23.  Finland
  24.  France
  25.  Georgia
  26.  Greece
  27.  Honduras
  28.  Iceland
  29.  Ireland
  30.  Italy
  31.  Jamaica
  32.  Jordan
  33.  Kazakhstan
  34.  Kenya
  35.  Lebanon
  36.  Liberia
  37.  Liechtenstein
  38.  Luxembourg
  39.  Madagascar
  40.  Malaysia
  41.  Malta
  42.  Montenegro
  43.  Mozambique
  44.  New Zealand
  45.  Netherlands
  46.  Niger
  47.  Nigeria
  48.  Norway
  49.  Palestine
  50.  Panama
  51.  Paraguay
  52.  Poland
  53.  Portugal
  54.  Qatar
  55.  Romania
  56.  Serbia
  57.  Sierra Leone
  58.  Slovakia
  59.  Slovenia
  60.  Somalia
  61.  South Africa
  62.  South Sudan
  63.  Spain
  64.  Sudan
  65.  Sweden
  66.   Switzerland
  67.  Uruguay
  68.  Zambia

Reactions

Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Gordon Brown stated that "every country must now support" the Declaration.[18]

Leila Zerrougui, the Special Representative to the Secretary-General of the United Nations said that she would "strongly advocate on behalf of children in conflict situations to persuade as many other Member States as we can to throw their support behind the initiative." [19]

Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council noted at the Safe Schools conference that "10 years from now we will look back on this day. Those who endorsed will say ‘we should really have done this earlier’. Those who did not endorse will say ‘why did we not endorse it?'" [20]

References

  1. ↑ "Oslo meet pledges to protect schools in war". The Local No. 2015-05-29.
  2. ↑ Joe Humphreys (2015-05-20). "State urged to sign up to Safe Schools Declaration". Irish Times.
  3. ↑ Ulrike Scheffer (2015-05-17). "Deklaration zum Schutz von Schulen: Menschenrechtler empört über Deutschland". Der Taggespiegel.
  4. ↑ Maria Fluxa (2015-05-29). "28 millones de niños sin educación por culpa de la guerra". El Mundo.
  5. 1 2 3 "Rapport fra konferansen om beskyttelse av utdanning i konfliktsituasjoner". Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 2015-10-05.
  6. ↑ Sean Coughlan (2015-05-29). "Campaign to stop attacks on schools". BBC News.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Safe Schools Declaration" (PDF). Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 2015-05-29.
  8. 1 2 Roger Hamilton-Martin (2015-07-02). "Countries Commit to Protecting Education During Conflict". Inter Press Service News Agency.
  9. 1 2 "States that have endorsed the Safe Schools Declaration". Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
  10. 1 2 "Safe Schools Declaration Endorsements". Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack. Retrieved 2015-10-13.
  11. 1 2 Børge Brende (2015). "Introduction by the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Børge Brende" (PDF). Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
  12. ↑ "Endorsement of the Safe Schools Declaration". Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
  13. ↑ "Letter for Endorsing the Safe Schools Declaration" (PDF). Retrieved 2015-10-12.
  14. ↑ "Second International Conference on Safe Schools". Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
  15. ↑ "Guidelines for Protecting Schools from Military Use:Next steps". Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack.
  16. ↑ "Broad support for protecting education from attack". Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 2015-05-29.
  17. ↑ "Over 80 states gather to discuss Safe Schools Declaration at Buenos Aires conference". Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack. 2017-03-30.
  18. ↑ Gordon Brown (2015-04-02). "Enough! The Attacks on Schools Must End". Huffington Post.
  19. ↑ "Statement of Leila Zerrougui delivered at "Side-Event" of Human Rights Council: Protecting Education from Attack". Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict. 2015-06-24.
  20. ↑ Hanne Eide Andersen (2015-05-29). "We urge all governments to endorse the Safe Schools Declaration". Norwegian Refugee Council.
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