UNICEF - Safe Schools Declaration 2015-2025

1 | UNICEF Humanitarian Advocacy Brief November 2025

The Safe Schools Declaration (SSD) was launched in 201 5 to strengthen the protection of children, education personnel and infrastructure, and restrict the use o f schools for military purposes in conflict, contributing to efforts to ensure children’s right to education. Ten years later, 121 States have endorsed the SSD, which together with the Guidelines for Protecting Schools and Universities from Military Use during Armed Conflict (Guidelines) has become a critical framework to protect education in conflict. The SSD mobilizes action at national, regional and international levels to protect students, education personnel and facilities from attack and military use, complementing existing international legal and normative frameworks to protect children and their rights to education and protection. This includes the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) established Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism (MRM) on grave violations against children in armed conflict, which documents and reports on attacks on schools and their military use, alongside other grave violations. Monitoring and reporting on attacks and military use of schools Since the UNSC adopted Resolution 1612 in 2005 through the Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC) agenda, the UN has verified over 14,000 attacks on schools and 3,241 instances of military use of schools in the situations on its agenda through the MRM. That’s nearly two attacks a day for two decades. More than half of these attacks (almost 8,000) have taken place in the last 10 years. The Gaza Strip alone has seen 97 per cent of its schools damaged or destroyed since 2023. In the DRC, Myanmar, Ukraine and beyond schools were threatened, looted, burned, targeted with improvised explosive devices, or hit by shelling or airstrikes. Safe Schools Declaration 2015-25 A decade of progress, a call for renewed action © UNICEF/UNI753031/Ibarra Sánchez

threatened, looted, burned, targeted with improvised explosive devices, or hit by shelling or airstrikes. Safe Schools Declaration 2015-25 A decade of progress, a call for renewed action © UNICEF/UNI753031/Ibarra Sánchez “I loved going to school but I had to stop when the fighting started.” — Yousra, 9, Sudan2 | UNICEF Humanitarian Advocacy Brief November 2025

Today, thousands of children face continued attacks in places where they should be learning and playing in safety. Not only are schools being damaged, destroyed, or occupied in warfare, through these attacks children and education personnel are directly exposed to threats, violence and death, putting lives, learning, and entire futures at risk. Children are also exposed to attacks on the way to and from school, and are at increased risk of other violations when schools are closed. Girls, students with disabilities, low-income and minority communities are often disproportionately impacted. Normative progress to protect education from attack Recognising the need to push back on these attacks, many States continue to prioritise efforts to protect education, mobilizing action globally to develop and strengthen the normative framework to protect education in conflict and to translate existing legal obligations into domestic legislation and practices. • In 2011, UNSC Resolution (UNSCR) 1998 incorporated attacks on schools as a grave violation that would trigger listing of perpetrators in the Annexes of the Secretary-General’s Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict (SG’s Annual Report). It called on listed parties to prepare and implement concrete, time-bound action plans to halt attacks and threats of attacks against schools, children and education personnel. • In 2014, the Guidelines for Protecting Schools and Universities from Military Use during Armed Conflict were launched, followed by the 2015 launch of the SSD, endorsed by 121 States as of October 2025 (see map). • In 2020 and 2021, through a Presidential Statement and Resolution 2601 - the UNSC further condemned attacks on

launched, followed by the 2015 launch of the SSD, endorsed by 121 States as of October 2025 (see map). • In 2020 and 2021, through a Presidential Statement and Resolution 2601 - the UNSC further condemned attacks on schools, students and teachers, and called for concrete protection measures and accountability. • From the African Union to the European Union, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a growing number of regional bodies and international alliances have recognized the need to advocate for an end to attacks on education in conflict and reaffirmed children’s rights to education and protection in conflicti. 121 States (in blue) have endorsed the SSD as of October 2025 In crisis settings, children and their communities consistently identify education as a top priority, placing it alongside or above other essential needs such as food and livelihoods. ✓ In a six-country consultation of 1,215 children affected by crises, 29 per cent said education was their top priority, more than twice as important as food, health or water and three times more than shelter or money (Geneva Global Hub for EiE, 2024). ✓ In 16 studies from 8 organizations covering 17 different emergencies –from conflict to protracted crises and disasters – reflecting the voices of 8,749 children, 99 per cent of children in crisis situations see education as a priority (Save the Children, 2015).3 | UNICEF Humanitarian Advocacy Brief November 2025

A call to action While important gains have been made in advancing a legal and normative framework to protect education from attack, critical gaps remain in turning commitments into action. Commitments made in international fora have not consistently translated into national laws, policies, or military practices that effectively protect schools, students, and teachers on the ground. To protect children and their education in conflict, UNICEF calls for urgent action in four key areas:

1. Prevent and end attacks on education and military use of schools:

international fora have not consistently translated into national laws, policies, or military practices that effectively protect schools, students, and teachers on the ground. To protect children and their education in conflict, UNICEF calls for urgent action in four key areas:

1. Prevent and end attacks on education and military use of schools: • Member States should endorse and implement the Safe Schools Declaration, adhere to relevant Security Council Resolutions, and uphold children’s rights to education and protection. Member States should translate these commitments into domestic policy and legislation, adopt and publish costed national implementation plans, and finance and strengthen relevant education and protection workforce including frontline personnel. • National armed forces and security actors should develop, adopt and issue command-level directives that operationalize UNSCR 2601 and the Guidelines; train relevant forces; monitor compliance; sanction violations; include prohibitions against the military use of schools in law, doctrine, rules of engagement and standing orders; and vacate occupied schools. • Parties to conflict should adopt and implement measures within their command structures to prevent attacks on education and the use and occupation of education facilities and safeguard children’s protection in line with international humanitarian law, and vacate occupied schools.

Parties listed in the Annexes of the SG’s Annual Report should promptly engage with the UN on an Action Plan to end and prevent attacks on schools and other grave violations against children. • The UN Security Council, including its Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict, should advocate for the endorsement and implementation of the Safe Schools Declaration and continue including this recommendation in their country report conclusions.

2. Promote accountability for attacks on education • Member States should unequivocally denounce grave violations, reaffirm that such actions are never acceptable and cannot be normalized, and consistently call for accountability. • Member States should develop and implement legislative measures and enforce accountability for attacks on education and other grave violations; mandate prompt, impartial investigations; prosecute perpetrators in line with legislation; and facilitate national reparations provision. • Member States – including members of the diplomatic community at country level – should support efforts of Country Taskforces for Monitoring and Reporting (CTFMRs) to dialogue with

for attacks on education and other grave violations; mandate prompt, impartial investigations; prosecute perpetrators in line with legislation; and facilitate national reparations provision. • Member States – including members of the diplomatic community at country level – should support efforts of Country Taskforces for Monitoring and Reporting (CTFMRs) to dialogue with authorities in identifying, developing and implementing legislative measures that enable accountability for attacks on education and other grave violations, during and after conflict.

3. Enable children’s safe access to learning during conflict and beyond • Member States should develop and implement strategies to reduce the likelihood and impact of attacks on education. This includes risk-informed school safety plans, early-warning and drills; learning continuity plans such as inclusive remote or accelerated learning modalities; school rehabilitation and reconstruction with accessibility for children with disabilities; and enhancing safe access by clearing explosive ordnance and prioritizing explosive ordnance risk education.4 | UNICEF Humanitarian Advocacy Brief November 2025

• Private sector and government donors, international financial institutions and national governments should protect and prioritize funding for children’s education and protection during and after conflict. Nearly 2 million children in humanitarian settings risk being out of school by the end of 2026, as education in emergencies programmes face a US$745 million shortfall. In transition and post-conflict contexts, education and protection must be prioritized as critical to the recovery of children and communities. • Humanitarian actors at local, national, regional and international levels should prioritize education and protection as life-saving and life-sustaining in humanitarian action and retain a commitment to centrality of protection in humanitarian response. This must include provision of survivor-centred services including medical services, gender-based violence services, mental health and psychosocial support, and conflict-sensitive education. Targeted approaches should be consistently employed to address the specific needs of girls, learners with disabilities, refugees, displaced children and other marginalized or vulnerable groups.

4. Prioritize monitoring, data and evidence for informed, principled action and engagement ✓ Member States to enable and facilitate monitoring and reporting of attacks on schools and

be consistently employed to address the specific needs of girls, learners with disabilities, refugees, displaced children and other marginalized or vulnerable groups.

4. Prioritize monitoring, data and evidence for informed, principled action and engagement ✓ Member States to enable and facilitate monitoring and reporting of attacks on schools and other grave violations, including supporting efforts of CTFMRs such as through close and regular engagement through the diplomatic community at country level. ✓ Government and inter-governmental donors should allocate the necessary long-term, predictable funding to support monitoring and reporting of attacks on education and other grave violations, and to support collection of disaggregated data and information relating to attacks on education and their impact on children, to further inform and support principled programmatic response and advocacy.

What UNICEF does UNICEF is co-hosting the Fifth International Conference on the Safe Schools Declaration in Nairobi on 25-26 November 2025, marking the Declaration's 10th anniversary. This critical gathering offers an opportunity to accelerate implementation, strengthen accountability, and mobilize commitments and plans to protect education in conflict through 2030. Globally, UNICEF works with States who have endorsed the Safe Schools Declaration, as well as parties to conflict, to protect education from attack. UNICEF is on the frontlines in conflict-affected countries to develop school safety plans, get children back to learning by providing informal learning opportunities and mental health and psychosocial support, training teachers, rehabilitating schools and distributing supplies for teaching and learning. UNICEF also works with partners to help children learn despite conflict and insecurity, and advocates at every level to end attacks on education.

i For more information, see examples in the Safe Schools Declaration Practical Impact Fact Sheet (2025) Additional resources: Safe Schools Declaration & Guidelines; GCPEA – Education Under Attack (2024 overview, key findings and full report) ; Human Rights Facts Sheets on Education in Emergencies, Geneva Global Hub for EiE (2024); Save the children report: What do children

Additional resources: Safe Schools Declaration & Guidelines; GCPEA – Education Under Attack (2024 overview, key findings and full report) ; Human Rights Facts Sheets on Education in Emergencies, Geneva Global Hub for EiE (2024); Save the children report: What do children want in times of emergency and crisis (2015); OSRSG Attacks on schools and hospitals; UNICEF – Education under attack; Resolution 1612 (2005) /; UNSCR 1998 (2011) ; UNSC Statement by the President of the SC (2020); UNSCR 2601 (2021)

“The war started, and our school was destroyed. There is no opportunity to learn.” — Darya, 14, Ukraine