Washington, D.C., September 18, 2020 – As organizations committed to making a difference in the lives of almost 80 million refugees and forcibly displaced persons around the world, we applaud the US State Department’s Bureau for Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) for announcing a $5 million contribution to Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the first global, multilateral fund for education in emergencies.

The US along with Germany, the Netherlands and Norway joined forces and announced contributions to ECW's global event on September 17, "The Future of Education is Here for Those Left Furthest Behind," which took place at the same time as the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Continued US leadership is now more crtical than ever before as the world continues to experience a global learning crisis in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly 1.6 billio learners in more than 190 countries have been affected. These funds will help support ECW's work in reaching more than 3.4 million children and training almost 42,000 teachers in 35 countries.

For more information, please contact Giulia McPherson, Director of Advocacy & Operations, Jesuit Refugee Service/USA and Chair, Education in Emergencies Working Group, Global Campaign for Education-US, at giulia.mchpherson@jrsusa.org.

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