HH Sheikha Moza participates in high-level panel at joint Education Above All and UN Refugee Agency forum in Geneva

Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of the Education Above All (EAA) Foundation and UN SDG Advocate, spoke on a high-level panel today, urging the international community to facilitate access to quality education for displaced children and to enforce stricter sanctions against perpetrators of armed conflict.

The forum, titled “Quality Education for a Sustainable Future: A Comprehensive Approach for Refugees and Internally Displaced People,” is organized by EAA in cooperation with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and it highlighted the worsening displacement crisis and the issues in delivering education to refugees and internally displaced children.

Her Highness was joined by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, HE Filippo Grandi, to discuss ways in which to ensure education for refugees and IDPs to promote a prosperous future for all.

During the panel discussion, Her Highness spoke about the barriers disrupting learning for refugees and internally displaced children, which prevents them from contributing to their communities.

“We must prioritize education… Education is a tool that can equip children for their future and for the present as well,” she said. “We need to mobilize for a global approach to remove all institutional barriers for validating and recognizing education of refugees.”

She continued: “Unfortunately, today armed conflicts are increasingly targeting what we are all doing and destroying what we are building… We should have one voice to stop any enablers of armed conflict,” especially through stricter enforcement of UN sanctions.

Prior to the forum, Her Highness and HE Grandi took a tour of an exhibition highlighting the challenging journey of refugee children, and EAA’s and UNHCR’s efforts to promote stability and hope for these children.

Afterwards, Her Highness and Mr. Grandi had a meeting in which they discussed the concerted efforts of EAA and UNHCR in delivering quality education to displaced children, which includes projects in 12 countries, as well as to explore further collaboration.