It is time for the United States to consider pledging substantially more to the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Fund. That’s according to the RESULTS Educational Fund, a non-profit citizen’s advocacy organisation based in Washington, D.C., USA. RESULTS is committed to educating the public, the media, and government leaders about issues related to poverty and hunger in the US and abroad. Its findings – drawn from country visits to Liberia, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Zambia as well as reflections on the U.S., are contained in its recently released report, “Towards collaborative support to global education: a review of the U.S. pledge to the Global Partnership for Education (GPE)”.
The findings from RESULTS’ 2011 commitment to the GPE Fund point strongly towards the need for a much larger, multi-year commitment from the US to the GPE Fund that is delivered on time. With GPE’s next replenishment conference due to take place in June 2014, this finding by RESULTS is timely.
Greater input by US
According to RESULTS, a greater, multi-year U.S. commitment at GPE’s June 2014 pledging conference would:
- Be in line with the US Congress’ request that the Administration do more in the area of basic education and contribute more to GPE specifically. A larger US commitment to GPE would also potentially position the US as a lead multilateral supporter of global education in addition to its existing bilateral role.
- Achieve objectives that US bilateral assistance cannot meet alone, as GPE’s country-led systems approach to education development builds the government and civil society landscapes needed by USAID to achieve its goals in sustainable development.
- More accurately reflect the US’ high level of partnership with GPE, as the US is very active in GPE structures at the country level yet has provided relatively little support to the GPE Fund.
- Bridge the gap to meet increasing demand, as anticipated requests from developing countries for GPE support currently outweigh existing donor commitments.
In November 2011, the US pledged to the GPE that it would:
- Contribute $20 million to the GPE Fund in 2012.
- Improve the reading skills of 100 million children and increase equitable access to education in crisis and conflict environments for 15 million learners by 2015.
- Improve its aid effectiveness through the USAID Forward initiative, which aims to reform and revitalise USAID’s strategic policy, planning and evaluation capabilities, and how it engages with partner countries.
EI: Increased support needed
“One of EI’s key partners, GPE is the world’s only multilateral institution exclusively devoted to ensuring that all children everywhere receive a quality basic education,” EI General Secretary Fred van Leeuwen said.
“We strongly urge the US Government, as well as public authorities worldwide, to guarantee appropriate public funding for teachers’ training and education systems. They must also ensure that quality education remains at the top of the post-2015 development agenda. Only this way will the Millennium Development Goals, including Education for All, be achieved.”
To read “Towards Collaborative Support to Global Education: A Review of the U.S. Pledge to the Global Partnership for Education”, please click here
You can view the GPE website here
The website of EI’s campaign, “Unite for Quality Education”, is available here