Tuesday, September 9, 2025 – World leaders, child protection actors, and young people gathered today at the Palais des Nations in Geneva to mark the sixth International Day to Protect Education from Attack. The high-level event, organized by the Education Above All (EAA) Foundation with the support and partnership of the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict (OSRSG-CAAC), carried the theme “Challenging Narratives, Reshaping Action.”

The 2025 Annual Report of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict documented 41,370 grave violations against children in 2024, including 22,495 children killed, maimed, denied humanitarian access, or recruited by armed forces and groups. Attacks on schools rose by 44 percent, underscoring that classrooms remain a frontline of conflict where children’s safety and futures are under constant threat.

Calling for action, EAA Foundation and OSRSG-CAAC have also united their advocacy efforts by joining #UniteToProtect and #ProveItMatters campaigns through a joint exhibition entitled “Children’s Voices on the Frontlines of Education in Crisis” Artwork and messages  from children in Qatar, Colombia, and India, as well as conflict-affected schools in EAA Foundation’s Together Project, calling directly on leaders to safeguard their rights, including to education are being featured.

The commemoration also featured a Youth Hub debate hosted by Qatar Debates, reinforcing the role of young voices in accountability and policy.

On this occasion, EAA Foundation and OSRSG-CAAC urge all Member States and partners to end impunity for attacks on education, uphold commitments under the Safe Schools Declaration, and invest in protecting schools as a pathway to peace.

“The deliberate targeting of schools robs children not only of their education but of their future. Protecting education is an obligation—and an investment in peace,” said Najat Maalla M’jid, Acting UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict.

The message from Geneva is clear: education must never be a target.

 

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For additional information, please contact:

Ariane Lignier, Communications Officer, Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict (ariane.lignier@un.org)

Instagram: @nochildreninwar, Twitter: @childreninwar