Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack

#Hiring Passionate about the #righttoeducation and #childprotection? The Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack is hiring an #Advocacy Officer for a 6 month maternity cover. We are a flexible and family friendly team - join us! Position is hosted by Save the Children Intl in Geneva. Please share and encourage candidates. Deadline is 8 May. https://lnkd.in/eS7e_xDY

1st Session of #EWIPA 2024 Conference on Explosive Weapons In Populated Areas (International Network on Explosive Weapons (INEW)), Oslo, hears from Defence officials from the Netherlands 🇳🇱, Colombia 🇨🇴 and the US 🇺🇸, who highlight how they have/are developing their #military policies and practices to incorporate the #EWIPA political declaration and strengthen compliance with #IHL. In the background of these statements, it's important to remember that there is an increase in the use of explosive weapons in attacks on education – this is one of the key findings of the forthcoming "Education Under Attack 2024 Report" (published by the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack, to which UNICEF has also contributed). In 2022 and 2023, these attacks included airstrikes and shelling, as well as the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and landmines; the use of explosive weapons has killed and harmed students and educators and damaged and destroyed schools and universities. Explosive weapons use, especially in urban areas, has a chilling effect on #education. Use of explosive weapons can contribute to wide-scale and extended school closures as we have seen in Ukraine and Gaza. These types of school closures contribute to severe learning losses, increased school drop-out, and most significantly, keep children from the life-saving and sustaining services often provided at school. Key statements: Lt. Col. Peter De Bock: 🇳🇱 Ministerie van Defensie's analysis has identified that whilst most civilian casualties are harmed through explosive weapons use, this is mainly through misidentification of targets, not due to collateral damage. Netherlands has an independent panel that reviews every instance of attacks in civilian areas. Dan Stigall: #USA is trying to mitigate Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response (#CHRM) through institutional policy and data of strikes on civilian populations, and by creating a center of excellence within the United States Department of Defense. Laurent Gisel, Head of Arms & Conduct of Hostilities Unit at International Committee of the Red Cross - ICRC: detailed recommendations, especially on "restricting and refraining" (3.3, Political Declaration) are essential to operationalise for effective impact of this declaration. Diana Castillo, Director of International Relations at Colombian Ministry of Defence: Colombia has adopted new policies since adopting the Political Declaration, including not attacking where the presence of minors is identified. Laura Boillot, Director, Article 36: Policies are a good starting point, but substantive implementation of the provisions ofnthe declaration is necessary. Moderated by Wendy A MacClinchy, Director of the United Nations program at the Center for Civilians in Conflict #protecteducation #internationalhumanitarianlaw Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack Education Above All Foundation Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

At the #ProtectionForum24 in Oslo, Norway, on 'Strengthening the Protection of Civilians from Explosive Contexts', organised by the International Network on Explosive Weapons (INEW) A hard-hitting start to the #ProtectionForum24: "Hospitals - or what is left of them - are not hospitals anymore; it is now being said that it is better to be dead than to be alive in a hospital... the latest discovery over the past weeks was of corpses in the hospitals, many of whom were high ranking surgeons and specialist doctors." - Younis Al Khatib, Palestine Red Crescent Society "There are real demonstrable patterns of harm, and the Political Declaration is an important step in that regard to represent the opposition to what is going on." - Cesar Jaramillo, Latin America Human Security Network (SEHLAC) "Explosive weapons lead to starvation; a lack of accountability leads to parties relying on and benefitting from impunity.." - Radhya al-Mutawakel "There is now a clear strategy of the weaponisation of water and food... water is often referred to as life, but it can now also mean death... Water is being used to kill..." - Mark Zeitoun "Cultural Heritage is also a victim of explosive weapons; it has an impact on civilian suffering when they are sheltering in cultural heritage sites, such as in the Omari Mosque, the oldest mosque in Gaza... and in old city in Sana'a which is a UNESCO world heritage site..." - Bonnie Docherty #Gaza, #Sudan, #Yemen, #Ukraine are top of the list of contexts where civilians, especially children, are suffering from the disastrous effects of Explosive Weapons. Education Above All Foundation Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack Megan Wiseman-Searle Tristan C. Alma Taslidžan Laura Boillot, International Network on Explosive Weapons (INEW) Younis Al Khatib, Palestinian Red Crescent Society Iryna Nikolaieva, PAX for peace Radhya al-Mutawakel, Mwatena for Human Rights Mark Zeitoun, Geneva Water Hub, a Centre of Competence on Water for Peace Bonnie Docherty, Human Rights Watch, Harvard University Raymond Johansen Anne Bergh, Norwegian Red Cross Ilaria Paolazzi #educationunderattack #StopBombingCivilians #NotATarget #PoliticalDeclaration #militarytarget #accountability