Ei-iE

The 10th Education International (EI) World Congress meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina from 29 July to 2 August 2024, notes that:

  1. On February 24, 2022, the Russian Federation carried out a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which was a continuation of the war of aggression that Russia launched against Ukraine in 2014, occupying the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions;
  2. The military and political leadership of the Russian Federation openly denies Ukraine's right to exist as a sovereign independent state. Russian ideology today denies the existence of Ukrainians as a separate nation;
  3. Due to the largest war in Europe since World War II, all spheres of Ukrainian life have suffered significant losses. The education sector is among the most affected. As of February 2024, 3,800 educational institutions have been damaged by bombing and shelling launched from Russian territory, 387 of them completely destroyed;
  4. Over the two years of war, at least 535 children have been killed and more than 1,255 injured as a result of Russian aggression. More than 19,500 children were forcibly deported to Russia by the occupiers. Children under occupation or deported to Russia are subject to forced "Russian re-education";
  5. Ukrainian teachers under occupation are forced to conduct lessons and educational activities that justify the Russian invasion, study the symbols and attributes of the aggressor country, distort and falsify the history of Ukraine, etc. The Ukrainian language and literature and the history of Ukraine are excluded from the list of school subjects, and teachers are forced to teach all subjects in Russian. All these criminal actions of the Russian troops in the temporarily occupied territories demonstrate that the purpose of the Russian Federation's invasion of Ukraine is not just to occupy territories, but to eliminate the Ukrainian national identity and to commit acts of atrocities against the Ukrainian people;
  6. A significant number of pupils and students are now studying remotely or in a blended learning environment because their schools have been destroyed, are located close to the war zone, or lack proper safety and shelter in case of air raids or shelling;
  7. Thanks to the Education International Solidarity Fund, the Trade Union of Education and Science Workers of Ukraine is able to provide assistance to trade union members affected by the war. The trade union also continues to protect the rights and interests of trade unionists: it advocates for higher salaries, safe working and learning conditions, for preventing job cuts and closure of educational institutions, for keeping young people in Ukraine and motivating them to return, and for taking their position into account when developing Ukraine's recovery policy;
  8. In 2023, Russian troops destroyed the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant and later made several attempts to destroy the dam of the Dnipro hydroelectric power plant, which could cause the largest ecocide in European history. The Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant disaster has already led to large-scale pollution of the Black Sea and the threat of losing access to drinking water for millions of Ukrainians, including the population of occupied Crimea. These crimes demonstrate Russia's absolute and cynical indifference to the fate of the Ukrainian territories it occupies and the people who live there. And despite all the global climate challenges, Russia continues to attack Ukraine's energy infrastructure, endangering the region's ecology and even the global ecosystem;
  9. Russia's act of nuclear terrorism at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is unprecedented - for the first time in history, an armed conflict is taking place on the territory of a large nuclear facility. Russia has seized Europe's largest nuclear facility and is destroying the plant's infrastructure.

Acknowledges that:

  1. Over the two years of the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war, the Ukrainian people have demonstrated to the world an impressive example of courage, resilience, bravery and unity in the face of a brutal enemy seeking the physical elimination of Ukrainians;
  2. Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine is in grave violation of international law and is causing numerous deaths and injuries among the civilian population;
  3. Russia's actions pose a systemic and long-term threat not only to Ukraine but to all democratic countries;
  4. Preserving Ukraine as an integral, independent state whose borders are internationally recognised by all countries of the world is a guarantee of global stability. The seizure and occupation of the territory of an independent country by military and terrorist means in violation of all international laws will destroy the world order and the unity of democratic countries and demonstrate that in the 21st century it is possible to disregard all laws and rules with impunity and achieve one's goals by armed means.

Given that:

  1. More than 2 years have passed since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, and despite the struggle for democratic values around the world, Ukraine realises that its support over the past 2 years has placed a financial burden on the societies of many countries;
  2. Constant missile attacks on Ukraine result in killings and injuries, large-scale destruction of educational institutions, a decrease in the number of students in schools and a shortage of teachers, a decrease in the quality of education due to constant interruptions in the educational process and the forced evacuation of children to safer areas;
  3. The hostilities of the aggressor country are causing Ukrainian youth to leave the country in search of a safe place to live and a more reliable and promising future, which could lead to a demographic crisis in Ukraine in the future;
  4. The constant stress of children and youth due to lack of safety will have a catastrophic impact on the mental health of the future generation of Ukraine.

The 10th World Congress of Education International:

  1. Acknowledges that Ukraine is fighting not only for its existence as an independent and sovereign state, but also for peace, democracy and justice in Europe and around the world;
  2. Recognises the bravery and dedication of teachers and educators of Ukraine, as well as the consequences of the aggressor's invasion of their country, which has seriously affected the Ukrainian education system, the teaching profession, students and their families;
  3. Pays tribute to the bravery and heroism of Ukrainian men and women defending the country;
  4. Continues to contribute to international pressure on the Russian Federation to immediately cease fire, stop shelling critical and civilian infrastructure, including educational institutions, and withdraw military forces and equipment from all internationally recognised territory of Ukraine.

The 10th World Congress calls on member organisations around the world to:

  1. Condemn all acts of military aggression on the territory of Ukraine and recognize the impact of the ongoing war on education and the teaching profession in Ukraine;
  2. Support the Trade Union of Education and Science Workers of Ukraine and its members in their struggle for freedom and independence, for peaceful life and for safe, quality education and decent working conditions; continue to support Ukrainian educators who have been affected by the attacks, injured, or whose homes have been destroyed;
  3. Continue to support Ukrainian educators and students in their home countries;
  4. Oppose Russian propaganda in their countries;
  5. To support teachers, academics and all educational personnel who speak out for peace and against the war against Ukraine in their countries and are therefore subject to repression and imprisonment;
  6. Call on their governments to continue and strengthen their comprehensive and critically needed support for Ukraine and its people.