Doha: HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of the Education Above All (EAA) Foundation and Sustainable Development Goals Advocate, attended on Monday the 5th Observance of the International Day to Protect Education from Attack (IDPEA) themed “Education in Peril: The Human Cost of War”, at the Qatar National Convention Center .
The celebration featured participation from global state leaders, SDG advocates, UN dignitaries, and civil society.
Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser attended a high-level panel discussion that gathered esteemed panelists including HE Prime Minister of the Republic of Yemen, Ahmad Awad bin Mubarak; HE First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Fatima Maada Bio; HE First Lady of The Gambia, Fatoumatta Bah-Barrow; HE Spouse of the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dr. Wan Azizah binti Wan Ismail; HE First Lady of the Federative Republic of Brazil, Rosangela Lula da Silva; HE Spouse of the Chairman of the Bosnia and Herzegovina presidential Council, Mirela Becirovic; HE First Lady of
the Republic of Cyprus, Philippa Karsera-Christodoulides; HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the State of Palestine, Dr. Varsen Aghabekian Shahin; HE Advisor to the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Saida Mirziyoyeva; HE Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Liberia, Sara Beysolow Nyanti; and HE UN SRSG for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba.
The participants expressed their gratitude to Her Highness and her great efforts in protecting education in conflict around the world, which extend to more than 25 countries, and her constructive initiatives to provide education and adopt it as a human value, and her prominent role and tireless efforts to build a better future for youth in a world full of challenges.
Each participant reviewed their country’s efforts in providing education for youth and children despite the violent events they witnessed, paying tribute to the teachers, students and parents who continue their education despite their low and non-existent s
alaries, the absence of infrastructure, the long distances and limited access to educational institutions, and the conditions of repeated displacement.
They stressed that education is the biggest key to shaping a better future for society and is the foundation for building a human character because it is the only thing that cannot be taken away and is the backbone of all progress and development. They stressed that what the world is witnessing requires the presence of leaders who want to spread peace and protect education because the destruction of nations begins with the elimination of their education.
The speakers condemned the demolition of all schools and universities in Gaza, the killing of more than 10,000 children and 400 teachers, and the war of extermination that Palestine is going through, stressing the need to confront the injustice facing children and stop the aggression that is destroying their future and depriving them of their rights and to hold accountable those responsible for these actions
.
They also called for the need to provide educational centers in areas of displacement and asylum, provide them with distinguished teachers, integrate children into their new communities, and empower youth to become active citizens, while promoting a culture of peace and dialogue and confronting the effects of violence and conflicts that affect school students.
They stressed the importance of collective action and directing resources to protect children and educational institutions from the effects of conflicts and wars, sending a number of messages to the international community, including the need to restore confidence in international and UN organizations, and that education is a pillar for achieving security, peace, the future, and development, as well as the need to show solidarity with the right to education and take meaningful steps to protect civilian life and prevent the situation from worsening, and urging the international community to stop the aggression and prosecute war criminals and perpetra
tors.
Source: Qatar News Agency