Five of Australia’s leading international aid agencies today welcomed the Australian federal government commitment to increase its global funding pledge at the Global Education financing Summit in London – but expressed disappointment that the pledge doesn’t go far enough.
Plan International Australia, Save the Children, UNICEF Australia, ChildFund Australia and Global Citizen, who have all been pushing for an increase in Global Education financing in the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, have expressed disappointment that Australia’s pledge of $36m per year over the next five years won’t meet the challenges posed by the impacts of COVID-19 on children’s education globally.
Australia has, over the past 10 years, fallen far behind comparative donor countries in committing to the GPE. On average, leading donor countries committed A$98m per year from 2018 to 2020. Australia’s commitment was A$30m a year, falling far short of other donors such as the United Kingdom, United States, France and Germany.
UNESCO estimates that more than 1.5 billion students and youth across the world are or have been affected by school and university closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Twenty-four million children are projected to drop out of school, perpetuating intergenerational poverty and inequality.
The UN Secretary-General, in his report on progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, released in April 2021, described the impact of COVID-19 on education as a “generational catastrophe” noting that the pandemic had devastating consequences for children’s learning and well-being.
The report noted that one year on from the beginning of the pandemic, two-thirds of students globally were still affected by school closures with the most marginalised children at risk of never returning to school and being at higher risk of child marriage or child labour.
UNICEF estimates that at least every seventh girl globally – 222 million in total – was unable to access remote learning programs when schools were closed due to COVID-19. UNICEF Australia CEO Tony Stuart welcomed the funding commitment to global education but said more was needed to meet the unprecedented challenges the world’s children face.
“For at least a third of the world’s school children, remote learning is simply out of reach,” Mr Stuart said. “Across East Asia and the Pacific alone, UNICEF estimates that more than 80 million children did not have access to any distance learning during school closures.
“The reality is the longer children spend out of school, particularly girls, the less likely they are to return to the education system. The school closures we are seeing across the globe are already, and will continue to have, devastating effects on child development in many countries for decades.”
Susanne Legena, CEO of Plan International Australia said: “At this critical time, when COVID-19 has upended the education of so many children, especially girls, it’s encouraging that Australia has shown its commitment to children and inter-generational gender equality.”
“However, in light of the damage that the global pandemic has done to children’s access to education we need to do much, much more. We’ve seen funding to education in Australia’s aid and development budget sustain the biggest cuts over the last decade. Now is the time to redouble efforts and rapidly grow Australia’s investment in education, particularly secondary education, so that children around the world can complete twelve years of quality education” said Ms Legena.
Paul Ronalds, CEO Save the Children: “The global COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on children’s access to education. There are very real fears that up to 16 million children worldwide whose education was disrupted by the pandemic, will never return to school. While we welcome the increase in Australia’s commitments to the GPE, it is disappointing that it has fallen short of our $70 million target, at a time when so many children are facing an abrupt end to their education.”
“With education being one of the most important investments that provides benefits not only to children but to their families and countries’ economies, now more than ever, we must redouble our efforts to get all children and adolescents enrolled in and completing twelve years of education,” he said.
Margaret Sheehan, ChildFund Australia CEO, said: “Education is an investment in the development of children, and critical economic recovery going forward. This year around half of the global school population is still affected by school closures. Increased investment is needed urgently to ensure that we mitigate devastating learning losses for the most vulnerable children. Access is key and requires us to resource connectivity and the digital transformation of our education systems.”
Sarah Meredith, Country Director (Australia), Global Citizen, said: “Critical to a world without extreme poverty is a child’s right to education. That’s why Global Citizen is boldly pursuing increased investments from world leaders to resume learning everywhere as part of our Global Citizen Live campaign. We welcome this strong new contribution from Australia. Given the size of the challenge ahead, we hope to see continued leadership from Australia for global education this year.”
- Partnership set to grow rugby for development and gender equality initiatives in Oceania and beyond
- ChildFund become first ever charity partner for the women’s edition of a Rugby World Cup
- Rugby fans will have the opportunity to opt in to donate when purchasing match day tickets
- Appointment builds on record-breaking success of previous partnership for Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan where £2 million was pledged by rugby fans to support ChildFund’s rugby for development programmes and Typhoon Hagibis disaster relief
- Rugby World Cup 2021 hosted by New Zealand set to take place 8 October – 12 November 2022 in Auckland and Whangārei
World Rugby has announced the appointment of international development agency ChildFund as the principal charity partner for Rugby World Cup 2021, playing in 2022, a first in the history of the premier women’s 15s event.
Rugby fans will have the opportunity to engage with and support the work of ChildFund Rugby, ChildFund’s dedicated rugby for development unit, via an opt in mechanism to donate when purchasing match day tickets, with funds raised through the partnership supporting the expansion of rugby for development programmes in Oceania. With a focus on gender equality initiatives, ChildFund works with partners, including Oceania Rugby, to provide vulnerable girls and women with opportunities to learn skills to overcome challenges and be active leaders in their communities.
World Rugby Chief Executive Officer Alan Gilpin said: “We are delighted to be extending our association with ChildFund, this time as principal charity partner for Rugby World Cup 2021. The tournament will showcase rugby’s unstoppable women as they compete at the highest level.
“Importantly, it will also generate an incredible legacy by supporting a new generation of female players and leaders in Pacific Island nations through ChildFund’s significant contribution to rugby for development programmes in the Oceania region.”
Through a ground-breaking partnership at RWC 2019, a record-breaking £2 million was pledged by rugby fans globally to ChildFund, providing more than 25,000 children from disadvantaged communities in Asia with the opportunity to take part in ChildFund’s Pass It Back programme across Asia, teaching life skills through rugby with the support of Asia Rugby.
Funds raised were also used to support local communities in Japan with the rebuilding effort following the devastation caused by Typhoon Hagibis during the tournament.
ChildFund Rugby’s development programmes not only promote the right to play in communities where children have little or no access to organised sport, but provide important learning opportunities around leadership, problem-solving, gender equality, relationships, conflict-resolution, and planning for the future.
With a strong focus on gender equality, a strategic objective shared by World Rugby, over half of all participants and rugby leadership roles are female, challenging gender stereotypes.
ChildFund Alliance Chair Simon Whyte said: “ChildFund is excited to again be partnering with World Rugby to change children’s lives through sport.
“Over 31,000 children and young people have benefitted from their involvement in ChildFund’s rugby for Development programs, which are highly successful in providing critical learning opportunities for children facing significant challenges linked to poverty and inequality.
“As part of this, 6,000 children have participated in Reconnect, a COVID-19 early response initiative developed by ChildFund which supports positive responses among young people to the challenges of the pandemic.
“ChildFund’s rugby for development programs also support global efforts to achieve gender equality, reduce inequality, and end gender-based violence, reflecting targets within the UN Sustainable Development Goals.”
ChildFund Ambassadors Honey Hireme-Smiler and Emily Chancellor, former and current New Zealand and Australian players, will be on opposing sides when the tournament commences. However, they are on the same team in recognising the importance of organised sport in girls’ and boys’ lives, particularly in disadvantaged communities.
Hireme-Smiler, former New Zealand Black Fern, said: “I am extremely passionate about supporting younger girls as this was how we were raised within our whanau (family). The ways in which ChildFund makes an impact on the lives of vulnerable children – whether through health and wellbeing, education, or sport – is so inspiring.
Wallaroos player Emily Chancellor, who shared her rugby skills with children in Laos in 2019, added: ChildFund Rugby’s development programmes are incredibly important for young people in developing communities, because they combine education with team sport. Learning through play is a really valuable way to build confidence and resilience.
“I’m also proud to support an initiative which has such a strong focus on gender equality and is creating an equal playing field for girls and boys alike.”
Funds raised during the tournament will allow ChildFund Rugby to expand its contribution to rugby for development programmes for children and young people in Oceania, support female leadership initiatives, and support the creation of strong rugby women’s networks around the globe.
ChildFund Australia CEO Margaret Sheehan said: “Well designed sport for development programs are a proven way to achieve positive social outcomes, such as building resilience, youth leadership and gender equity. We are proud and excited to be part of this major global initiative to improve the lives of children and young people as communities recover from the impacts of COVID-19.”
For more information, visit www.childfundrugby.org
