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| © UNICEF/NYHQ2011-2089/Dormino |
| Students play outside Mamalu Kindergarten et École Fondamentale Mixte (Mamalu Kindergarten and Primary School) in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. |
When a crisis hits, UNICEF works to save lives and provide children with a quality education, both during the emergency and afterward. This requires tremendous resources and complex logistical coordination with strong, collaborative partners. UNICEF continues to build new partnerships and strengthen existing ones. Cooperation among energized partners in a global community is essential to alleviate suffering and provide assistance during crises and their aftermath.
At the international level, two partnerships stand out:
The Inter-Agency Standing Committee Cluster for Education in Emergencies is part of United Nations efforts to improve the effectiveness of humanitarian relief. UNICEF and Save the Children are the lead agencies for the education cluster. At the country level, the cluster’s task is to clarify roles, responsibilities and accountability of United Nations and other partners working to restore schooling in specific crises. The cluster also seeks to improve coordination among partners working to rebuild education systems in the early recovery period.
The Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) is a global network of more than 5,700 practitioners, students, teachers and staff from United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations, donors, governments, and universities. They work together to ensure children’s right to education is realized during emergencies and in the early recovery period.
The network engages in advocacy, coordinates capacity-building opportunities, disseminates information, and develops technical resources. INEE developed Minimum Standards for Education in Emergencies, Chronic Crises and Early Reconstruction. These standards, applied in emergencies around the world, also include tools for their promotion, training, monitoring and evaluation.
The network is managed by a small secretariat supported by an inter-agency steering group, of which UNICEF is a member.
