New joint policy paper highlights the need to build coordinated approaches and harmonize reporting systems to track investments across the humanitarian-development nexus.
NEW YORK, June 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite a growing recognition of the central role of education in responding to increasing needs in both humanitarian and development contexts, new analysis released today by Education Cannot Wait (ECW) and the Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report reveals persistent gaps in how education funding is tracked, coordinated and reported.
The joint policy paper "Funding for Education in Crises: Data in Distress" highlights the urgent need to harmonize reporting systems to ensure transparency, consistency and impact for global investments in education in emergencies and protracted crises.
"In the face of deepening crises and shrinking aid resources, we must deliver smarter, faster and more locally. That begins with better data and stronger coordination to ensure no child is left behind - especially girls and boys living through the world's most severe humanitarian crises. It also demands from us to feel empathy - sincere empathy - for the 234 million children we serve. By working together with humanitarian and development partners to improve the tracking of education financing in crisis contexts, we can ensure more impactful investments and increase aid efficiency," said Yasmine Sherif, Executive Director of Education Cannot Wait.
"Our ability to fund education in crises is hampered by disjointed data. Development aid is now providing an increasing share of funding in such contexts. It's time our tracking systems reflect this reality, and our funding strategies prioritize integrated, consistent support for children caught in protracted crises," said Manos Antoninis, Director of the GEM Report.
The paper highlights that armed conflict, climate shocks and forced displacement have become persistent features of global crises, with the average length of a humanitarian appeal now being 10 years and protracted crises characterizing 91% of these appeals.
Against this backdrop, education interventions increasingly span humanitarian and development programming. Meanwhile, the mechanisms for financing and tracking humanitarian and development funding for education remain largely separate, monitored through distinct systems with different standards.
The paper analyses data from the three global databases providing information on aid to education - the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Creditor Reporting System (CRS database), the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Financial Tracking Service (FTS) and the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) - together with country-level education financing case studies, drawing from this evidence to show that the current fragmentation of these systems limits opportunities for strategic planning, funding alignment and effective advocacy.
The paper stresses that education is one of the most underfunded sectors within humanitarian responses - according to FTS data, only 29% of education funding requests in humanitarian appeals were met in 2024. At the same time, analysis from the CRS database indicates that development aid accounts for an increasing share of funding for education in crises, reaching 92% in 2023 - although the exact share may be overestimated due to the narrow definition of humanitarian aid according to this database.
By combining these data, funding for education in crises accounts for an increasing share of total aid to education. According to the paper, and reflecting the increase and length of crises, the share of education in emergencies and protracted crises has increased from 9% in 2017 to 12% in 2023. In countries with humanitarian response plans in place for more than three years, the share rose from 21% to 24% in this period.
Despite this increase, according to the GEM Report, low and lower-middle-income countries face a US$100 billion annual financing gap to reach their education targets. Without additional measures by 2030, 300 million children will lack basic numeracy and literacy skills, and 84 million will be out of school altogether.
Through the policy paper, ECW and the GEM Report are calling for increased coordination to align the main reporting systems - the CRS, FTS and IATI - and improve the reporting standards. Ensuring a more comprehensive and consistent tracking of funding for education in crises is crucial to support policymakers and education aid stakeholders in making informed financing decisions across the humanitarian-development nexus.
Note to Editors
About Education Cannot Wait (ECW):
Education Cannot Wait (ECW) is the global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises in the United Nations. We support quality education outcomes for refugee, internally displaced and other crisis-affected girls and boys, so no one is left behind. ECW works through the multilateral system to both increase the speed of responses in crises and connect immediate relief and longer-term interventions through multi-year programming. ECW works in close partnership with governments, public and private donors, UN agencies, civil society organizations, and other humanitarian and development aid actors to increase efficiencies and end siloed responses. ECW urgently appeals to public and private sector donors for expanded support to reach even more vulnerable children and youth.
On X/Twitter, please follow: @EduCannotWait @YasmineSherif1 @KentPage
Additional information available at: www.educationcannotwait.org
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