Answers

Name:

Camilla Wøldike

Organisation:

PlanBørnefonden

Response:

PlanBørnefonden works to address priorities regarding Education in Emergencies through its Danish Alliance funded by ECW (co-led with save the Children) and via our Plan International country offices where ECW provides key support for our humanitarian interventions in settings of conflict, crisis, and climate disasters. We appreciate the support by DK MFA given to ECW while recognizing the increasing humanitarian needs in countries addressed in the development strategy ‘the world we share’. Our main response is regarding the identified Danish priorities with a note of appreciation of the intent to promote the complementarity between ECW and GPE and ensure synergies where possible. Advancing commitment to gender equality: We appreciate the strong focus on gender equality and recommend emphasizing that a commitment to gender equality in EiECP is also ac commitment to address barriers to education and boost progress towards important social shifts, such as the reduction of gender-based violence and early marriage. Similarly, a commitment to gender equality when aiming to secure education as an integral part of humanitarian response is also about strengthening women’s and girls’ inclusion and leadership in decision-making roles and as role models. And that this needs to start right from early childhood when ideas about gender identity and expression start forming and continue into young adulthood. This is crucial in both emergencies as well as in protracted crises where inequitable gender norms and existing socioeconomic gender disparities are often aggravated and reinforced by discriminatory practices, and socio-cultural norms that undermine women’s rights, and educational prospects. We suggest highlighting that a commitment to gender equality in education is a commitment to inclusive and equitable quality education and essential to improve holistic learning outcomes for all children in all their diversity around the world. And that this - in its essence - means a commitment to gender transformative education. Strengthening the hum-dev nexus: We suggest drawing on the current CSO recommendation paper being developed for the upcoming DK MFA and BHA/USAID co-hosted event on localization in the humanitarian, development, peace, and climate nexus, recognizing that Danish NGOs and their partners have successfully piloted flexible and innovative funding mechanisms for local actors across a range of contexts. This, among others, should lead to a recommendation for continued funding and growth of community-led initiatives that cut across the humanitarian, development, and climate sectors. Likewise, the hum-dev is also where overlaps with GPE mandate and areas of strength should be further honed, in particular in contexts of protracted crisis. Here the MYRP, Education Response Plans/Crisis-sensitive educational planning and (gender-sensitive) Education Sector Plans present an area of intersecting expertise, encouraging sector-wide mechanisms for monitoring of education outcomes for all. Further coordination, through e.g. a roadmap for increased collaboration with the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and other major education funds, should be pursued.

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Name:

Kira Boe

Organisation:

Uddannelsesnetværket under Globalt Fokus

Response:

The Danish Education Coalition appreciates the continued Danish support to education through its aid budget. We agree with the justification for the support that highlights that the mandate and work of Education Cannot Wait) is increasingly relevant due to the high levels of emergencies and crisis globally. We find the three proposed Danish priorities relevant and appropriate. While we agree that the three priorities set forth in the draft Organisation Strategy are key to the sector and link Denmark’s priorities well with those of ECW, we would argue that: 1. A broader focus on equity, quality and especially the role that teachers play is key. 2. A focus on youth is key to the issue of education and aligns perfectly with Denmark’s priorities. In the draft strategy, the focus is almost exclusively on children. This should be changed to children and youth, with a specific focus on student involvement in education. 1. Denmark has historically played a strong role in ensuring global focus on public education systems as opposed to private or for-profit education, and we would like to see this highlighted in the strategy, while recognizing that ECW often works in areas where the state is not present. The vulnerability of the populations ECW serves only highlights the importance of working with not-for-profit actors. 2. An increased focus on learning at all ages, including early learning, primary, secondary and tertiary education as well as catch-up programmes and technical and vocational education and training. The multilateral funding to GPE and ECW makes up a significant portion of Denmark's total fundings to education (ODA including humanitarian aid) and reflects a funding pattern of development assistance in favour of multilateral funding over bilateral funding. This ensures a certain level of efficiency of the funds provided, but also comes with a responsibility to ensure the direction and strategies under which the funding is dispersed. As an important donor of GPE and ECW, Denmark has a strong voice in the governance structures, which set standards for the entire sector. Denmark should use this voice to make a clear stand on how to ensure DK's thematic priority areas in the education space. This requires deep knowledge of the field - something that is often gained through bilateral country programmes and national experience, and it is recommended that MFA seeks out this experience in a more coordinated and long-term manner, to consolidate a stronger knowledge base for efficient quality programming within key areas of expertise. In terms of the three proposed priorities, we would like to make the following comments: Gender equality: - We appreciate that gender has such a prominent focus in the draft strategy. We do, however, believe that gender in education needs to be addressed in the broadest terms – to include a gender transformative approach to addressing harmful gender norms and stereotypes – targeting all genders and not just girls’ education. We therefore recommend an even deeper focus on the transformative change needed to uproot deep seated inequalities within the education sector. While we appreciate that gender-transformative MYRPs are written into the strategy, we do not believe that having the FERs be gender-sensitive is sufficient. HDP Nexus: - Denmark has at various occasions taken upon itself a global leadership role on nexus. We would like to see concrete proposals for how to further explore synergies between GPE and ECW and how Denmark can support these. Climate Change: - In general, but particularly relevant to the issue of climate change, the strategy lacks a focus on young people’s agency and inclusion in decision-making processes (especially of those most marginalized, including girls) related to education and climate change.   Lastly, we want to highlight the good collaboration that exists between civil society and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs on issues related to education, including ECW. However, for Denmark to truly push several of these issues in the governance structure of ECW, more staff might be needed. While the few staff working on education are doing admirable work, they are covering a large and important portfolio and more support could bring more visibility to these issues. We would like to offer the collective expertise of civil society to support the Danish priorities in ECW and would suggest more regular communication between Danish representatives and civil society.

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Name:

Karsten Fledelius

Organisation:

Danish Helsinki Committee for Human Rights

Response:

Bemærkninger og forslag

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