The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) welcomed a generous pledge of GBP 430 million (US$ 600 million) from the United Kingdom towards its “Raise Your Hand” financing campaign made yesterday at the G7 Summit in Cornwall.
The pledge represents a significant increase from the U.K.’s last contribution to GPE in 2018 and is a major step towards securing a fully funded GPE for its 2021-2025 financing campaign. The campaign seeks to raise at least US$5 billion to transform education for the most vulnerable children in nearly 90 lower-income countries and territories.
Other pledges to GPE from G7 partners, the European Commission and Italy, were announced earlier this week. The European Commission announced EUR 700 million (US$ 850 million) – the largest single donor pledge ever to GPE – and Italy pledged EUR 25 million (US$ 30 million).
The U.K. has put girls’ education at the heart of its G7 presidency, recognizing that investments in education lay the foundation for a more prosperous future. Education has been one of the sectors hit hardest by the pandemic, with school closures and learning disruptions threatening to push up to 20 million girls out of school forever. At the height of the pandemic, an estimated 1.6 billion children were shut out of education.
“Investing in education, especially for girls and other vulnerable children, is one of the most effective ways to build back a better, more sustainable and more equitable world post-pandemic,” said Julia Gillard, GPE Board Chair and former Prime Minister of Australia. “I commend the U.K. for its leadership and urge other donors to step up with bold pledges at the Global Education Summit. GPE’s financing campaign comes at an absolutely critical time for education around the world.”
The Global Education Summit on 28-29 July in London, co-hosted by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, is the world’s opportunity to fully fund GPE and help enroll 88 million more children in school and enable 175 million girls and boys to learn.
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