The Right to Education For All

The Right to Education For All A perspective on protecting the future of education at times of disruption, conflict, and insecurity Thought Leadership Seminar Georgetown University, Washington, DC September 18, 2019

Published by: Georgetown University in Qatar and Education Above All Foundation Education City Al Luqta Street Doha, Qatar https://www.qatar.georgetown.edu https://educationaboveall.org Photos: Georgetown University and Education Above All Foundation Disclaimer: This report seeks to capture key elements of discussion during the Thought Seminar. It does not purport to be a transcript and is necessarily selective. It should not be taken as a complete or authoritative record of any individual statement or intervention, nor expressing the views of Georgetown University or Education Above All. Participants should be consulted directly for an authoritative statement of their views.

The Right to Education For All A perspective on protecting the future of education at times of disruption, conflict, and insecurity

© 2019 Office Of Her Highness Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser

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There is no one size fits all solution. There are different barriers to education in times of conflict; cultural, economic, and political, so we need to be creative and innovative in these situations.

– H.H. Sheikha Moza bint Nasser

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This gathering is a wonderful opportunity for discussion and provides a context for us to understand the unique contributions and concerns of young people who face barriers to education.

– President John DeGioia

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THOUGHT SEMINAR SPONSORS Education Above All Foundation

Education Above All’s (EAA) mission is to bring new life chances and real hope and opportunities to poor and marginalized children, youth, and women in the developing world. To achieve this mission EAA aims to build a global movement that contributes to human, social and economic development through quality education and other welfare programs and initiatives. Through the Educate a Child program, EAA works with partners to reach millions of children affected by poverty and crisis.

Its program Protect Education in Insecurity and Conflict aims to promote and protect the right to education by supporting partners in education, international law and child protection – from the monitoring of attacks on students to restricting military use of schools and universities.

EAA’s other arms are more regionally focused: Al Fakhoora aims to secure access to education for young people in Gaza and the West Bank while Reach out to Asia works with partners, volunteers, and local communities, to ensure that people affected by crisis across Asia, and around the world, have continuous access to high-quality primary and secondary education.

Georgetown University

Georgetown was a natural host for this discussion due to its commitment to service and research on topics related to migration, education, poverty, and peace. Rooted in a Catholic and Jesuit heritage, Georgetown University aims to educate students with the knowledge, skills, and values to serve the global common good. This ethic of teaching and learning in service to the world has resulted in a commitment to ensuring that everyone has access to a quality education. Georgetown works towards these ends through research, student experiential learning, and partnerships with mission-driven entities around the world.

Georgetown campuses are home to faculty researchers working on international policy, peace and conflict, and education, as well as dedicated research centers that bring together scholars to collaborate on research projects related to these topics. Research centers include the Berkeley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs, The Center for International and Regional Studies, located on Georgetown’s Qatar campus, Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security, the Kennedy Institute of Ethics, and the Georgetown University Initiative on Innovation, Development, and Evaluation.

These research centers have tackled such topics as education and integration relating to migration and refugees; the role that policy plays in development, mobility, and displacement; forced migration in the Middle East; women’s work in conflict situations; sexual abuse in conflict; women-led peace effort; the ethics of humanitarian intervention and structural injustice; and the impact and effectiveness of interventions and policies aimed at empowering individuals in developing countries to improve their lives and the promotion of agency in the delivery of education.

In addition, Georgetown partners with mission-driven institutions to further the aims of educational access and protection of people on the margins. One such partnership is with Jesuit World Learning: Higher Education on the Margins to provide equitable high quality tertiary learning to people and communities at the margins of society - whether caused by poverty, location, lack of opportunity, conflict, or forced displacement.

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OVERVIEW The Thought Leadership Seminar in Washington, DC, on September 18, 2019, was an initiative between Education Above All Foundation and Georgetown University. The seminar was held prior to the October, 2019 Social Forum of the United Nation’s Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, which focused on the promotion and protection of the rights of children and youth through education. The high-level panel discussion was moderated by Georgetown University President, Dr. John DeGioia, and featured UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Advocate and Chairperson of Education Above All, Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, along with SDG Advocate, Dr. Alaa Murabit, and Executive Director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security, Ambassador Melanne Verveer. The purpose of the discussion was to raise awareness and crystalize consensus on the key needs and agendas for protecting education for children affected by conflict and forced displacement.

Delivered to an audience of global leaders in education and foreign policy, academics, and students, the seminar aimed to examine and develop an advocacy agenda responding to the state of education for out of school children and those at risk of losing access to school. The discussion was framed around the theme “The Right to Education for All - A perspective on protecting the future of education at times of disruption, conflict, and insecurity.” Key themes included the role of education as the foundation of peaceful societies; the importance of protecting education during conflict; and responsibility and accountability of all those with power. Particular focus was given to the crucial role of Higher Education Institutions in innovating to produce solutions that safeguard education in conflict.

Key Discussion Themes • Access to Education

Access to quality education for all is essential for building peace and preventing societies from falling back into conflict.*

• Role of Higher Education

Universities in particular are accountable for producing evidence-based knowledge that can be used to inform laws and policies made by decision makers. University leaders, academics, and students are encouraged to pursue a research agenda that aims to produce innovative ideas around educational structures, teaching and learning methodology, and outcome based collaborative partnerships.

• Coordinated Effort

The scale of trauma and educational system destruction, affecting millions of children and youth and their future generations, will require long term, coordinated effort to remedy.

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It’s so valuable for us to be able to come together in forums such as this. Movements such as Education Above All, founded by Her Highness Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser have helped to bring necessary attention to the barriers that children face to education with a specific focus on areas and communities affected by poverty, conflict and disaster. And initiatives like our own Institute for Women, Peace and Security here at Georgetown are providing resources and research examining the critical role that an access to education has on encouraging women’s participation in society and advancing economic opportunity.

– President John DeGioia

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* FH360 research on relationship between quality education, equality and conflict: UNICEF by FHI 360 https://ww.fhi360. org/sites/default/files/media/documents/resource-epdc-brief-edu-inequality-violent-conflict.pdf. For a short summary of the research see: A. Smiley and N. Weisenhorn, “Reducing Conflict Through Equitable Education,” ECCN Network, January 2018.

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THOUGHT SEMINAR THEMES

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Unfortunately, education is the first victim when it comes to times of war... During conflict, education provides normalcy, continuity and sustainability for students.

– H.H. Sheikha Moza bint Nasser

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Theme 1: Access to Education as an Essential Public Service During Crisis The nature of conflict today is protracted and complex and is having a devastating impact on quality education. Globally, education has suffered some 14,000 attacks in the last five years alone.

Even when war or conflict has ended, crisis may continue in the form of forced displacement, which has the potential to cause longer-term destabilization, environmental damage, and insecurity in and around areas of conflict.

The Thought Leadership Seminar topic, “The Right to Education for All - A perspective on protecting the future of education at times of disruption, conflict, and insecurity,” is predicated on the understanding that education is a human right and an essential public service. In a crisis, safeguarding quality education is considered less essential than health, food security, and shelter. The assumption is that education will be provided when the situation begins to stabilize, but the reality is that once education is destroyed or disrupted, it can be generations before quality education is restored.

A better course of action is to consider education an immediate, essential, and ongoing service whether in recent conflict or protracted crises. In addition to education being a fundamental right that needs to be protected at all times, education is also the path forward to stability; it is the mechanism which moves communities away from conflict and towards peace.

The costs of not having access to education are felt not only by children, but also by their families, their communities, and their countries. In fact, it is far more expensive to not educate than to educate a child. Out of school children earn significantly less across their lives. This considerable financial loss affects global economic growth. On the other side of the coin, the benefits to be gained from education - by the child, their families, communities and countries - are immense. The positive cycle that equitable education fosters has impact on many other sectors including health, employment, and reducing conflict.

Global leaders, universities, and development and humanitarian actors play a critical role in minimizing the disruption of education in areas affected by conflict. Universities have a critical role to play in providing leadership and innovations that address the global challenge of protecting education in conflict.

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Quality Education Needs • Protection of education in conflict and safe schools • University innovation and leadership • Advocacy and voice at the local, regional, and global level • Resources • Gender equality • Trained teachers • Physical and mental health care • WASH - Sanitary conditions

Key considerations when addressing barriers to access Needs of Out of School Children

Meeting the needs of out of school children (OOSC) means addressing barriers to education such as poverty, geographical challenges, conflict, insecurity and instability, refugee status, gender discrimination, lack of infrastructure and resources, poor education quality, and children with special needs. It is clear that there is an inability to keep the promise to ensure the right to education at the global level. At the national level, there is not simply a lack of political will or finance, but also challenges associated with the implementation of education programs and the coherence and coordination of different actors and solutions.

At the local level, those who are most directly affected are not given a voice in articulating their needs to local, national, and international actors, and there are multiple compounded barriers to educational access: a girl in conflict may face not just violence, but poverty, gender discrimination, lack of access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and resources – she may also not have a safe place to learn or a school nearby her home.

Poverty

Poverty is the barrier that affects the largest number of children. The economic cost of OOSC tends to be highest in the least economically developed countries, suggesting that enrolling OOSC and providing quality education could contribute to global economic convergence, reducing economic inequality among and within countries.

Solution example: Pakistan is home to 1 in 10 of the world’s OOSC. Educate A Child is supporting efforts to enroll over one million OOSC in primary education from some of the most marginalized communities.

Gender discrimination

Gender discrimination continues to be a significant barrier, with girls lagging behind not only in accessing but also in completing their education.

Solution example: EAA’s Educate Girls program in India has volunteers work with families and mobilize communities to ensure girls are not prevented from going to school. The program will enable 460,500 out of school girls to return to school.

Conflict, insecurity and instability

Conflict, insecurity, and instability are some of the most significant barriers to education today, as well as the barriers that can be seen, there are other barriers that are not so obvious such as the effects of trauma.

Solution example: In Syria, self-learning programs allow thousands of children to keep up with their learning at home or in community centers. This allows children in highly insecure environments to gather in safe learning spaces with trained facilitators to continue their schooling with specialized learning materials. The EAC program has also supported programs that provide psychosocial support to help children recover from trauma.

Handling Trauma An 11 year old girl called Sarah, a Palestinian refugee whose family had fled to Syria then to Lebanon received psychosocial care through Educate A Child because she was unable to speak after suffering significant trauma; today she is healthy, happy, top of her class… and quite chatty.

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Theme 2: The Role of Higher Education Institutions The scale of the challenge means that analysis needs to focus on original and innovative solutions that enable a paradigm shift in how education is safeguarded during protracted conflict. At the same time best practices and lessons learned that are presently working well on the ground need to be continued. As part of a discussion of best practice, international actors (whether from humanitarian, development, or legal sectors) need to discuss innovative ways of securing access to education during a protracted crisis. Participants in the discussion must include affected populations, multilateral and bilateral partners, multilateral development banks, peace and security actors, humanitarian and civil society organizations, and the private sector.

Higher Education Institutions have a particular role in leading the way on innovation towards workable solutions and nurturing the next generation of leaders who will take the responsibility of safeguarding education in conflict. To harness the benefits of innovation to protect education in conflict, each sector within higher education can make a distinct contribution. Reliance on the private sector alone is not sufficient to meet the scale of the challenge that we face. Private sector research and philanthropy needs to be steered in the direction of addressing the global crisis of protecting education in conflict.

In the area of research, crucially, agenda setting must incentivize researchers to originate, test, and develop new ideas that can yield real world solutions that protect education in conflict.

Incentivizing innovation

University leaders have a special role to play in facilitating this process through providing vision and leadership. They also need to make innovation a key part of research policy and the institutional management of research within the Higher Education sector. There are a range of ways to incentivize this process - whether it is through designing public research funding instruments that specifically increase knowledge production on the topic of protection of education in conflict and fragile situations, or developing research centers of excellence as a context for capacity building to allow innovation around education in conflict.

Partnerships

Educational and philanthropic institutions should work in close partnership to lead the agenda so that the issue of research and innovation on education in conflict is made a priority for researchers. Research centers working in partnership with the private sector, the United Nations, global foundations, and policy networks can make a significant contribution through sustained thinking about solutions for safeguarding education.

Awareness raising through experiential learning and competitions

Within the area of undergraduate and graduate teaching, there is the opportunity to raise awareness about the issues through allowing students to understand and address the challenge of safeguarding education for all in fragile situations. For example, Georgetown University in Qatar has developed a community based education module that incorporates travel for courses of study in well-planned and safe study trips that include working with forcibly displaced populations. Students can also be encouraged to understand these issues through study in their formal curriculum, as well as through activities such as essay writing competitions and debates. The key is to nurture a generation of young thinkers and leaders who understand the scale and complexity of the problem, and stand ready to act to bring about change.

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Getting those with first-hand experience to the table to influence education design

Moreover, students and faculty from areas that have been affected by conflict have much to contribute because of their unique knowledge of conflict and post-conflict situations. Bringing the voices of those of who have first-hand experience in confronting educational barriers to policy and thought leadership tables is an important area of development. An example would be to develop programs which grant scholars from affected regions a safe haven in higher education institutions and provide support that enables their involvement in the development of solutions that safeguard education in conflict.

Recognizing and scaling up existing innovations

Innovation is happening around the world in education – but is often overlooked by organizations doing work in education in crisis situations and by international aid agencies, which means that these innovations are rarely taken to scale or used to inform policy. Not only Higher Education Institutions but also all those who work in the challenging space of providing education in conflict, are key partners in this vision of developing innovative solutions to safeguarding education. The partnership between university researchers and policy practioners who are often the source of the most effective innovation is particularly important.

Once ideas are developed it is critical that they are tested in real world solutions with local partners.

Examples of working solutions include:

• Educate a Child’s partner, Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC), has developed boat schools in Bangladesh to address the triple barriers of flooding, school construction, and getting to school.

• Youth as agents for change and promotors of social equity are part of projects such as Building Tomorrow, whose mentors identify, enroll, and mentor OOSC in Uganda; and in Pakistan, the British Council engages youth ambassadors that are responsible for identifying, enrolling, and bringing to school at least 15 OOSC each.

• Technological innovations include Brazil’s Aprendiz which has engaged other government sectors (health, social work, etc.) and multi-media platforms to identify OOSC; and India’s Educate Girls, which uses GPS to monitor the activities of its field workers as well as mobile phones for reporting and trouble shooting.

© EAA/Maher Attar 9

Theme 3: Coordinated Effort Resources

Recovering from conflict and rebuilding a damaged or destroyed education system requires the development of long- term resourcing strategies. Predictable, multi-year funding contributes to building education and supporting countries to scale up education programs in the worst affected areas, and to treat the root causes of conflict through education and peace-building. In many crises, both humanitarian and long-term development funding are needed to guarantee a safe, good-quality education.

© EAA/Maher Attar

While it is acknowledged that education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty, and protecting children, funding levels for education in emergencies remain low and insufficient. Few development partners include education as part of their humanitarian policy. While financing is not the only solution, it is a crucial component in securing access to education during protracted conflict. Analysis and solutions need to focus on funding possibilities for different actors, as well as better use of these funds for education-relevant outcomes. EAA’s Educate A Child, for example, has developed innovative funding approaches through its co-funding and mixed financing models that are being used in countries as diverse as Mali, Djibouti, and Paraguay.

An important consideration for developing coordinated resource solutions is developing best practices around national education actors and the international community working together to design and implement joint funding to strengthen local educational systems, thereby promoting comprehensive and integrated responses to conflict in affected countries. Examples of good practice include agreements to share data, and perform joint analysis and assessment of needs, and align multi-year planning across peace, humanitarian, and development operations.

More money itself is not a panacea to the problem, and it is important to think of new imaginative solutions of what constitutes access to education in these situations, as well as designing funding approaches.

Educational strategy coherence*

With so many disparate actors, a key global agenda item must be to develop educational strategy coherence. Education is a collective outcome, that in turn, requires collective action across all the relevant actors - international, national and local community based. Coherence requires a recognition that there is a need for some consensus on the principles and norms that should guide actors, as well as better coordination (and clear lines of communication, skills of personnel and accountability) and better education planning and provision.

* See USAID, Office of Education White Paper: “Education and Humanitarian-Development Coherence”, (April, 2019).

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THOUGHT SEMINAR CONCLUSIONS

The Thought Leadership Seminar was an opportunity for global leaders to come together to act as a catalyst towards concerted action to meet the targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. More specifically these goals are inter-related across a range of issues including SDG 4: Quality Education, SDG 8: Decent work and Economic Growth and SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, as well as developing partnerships necessary for achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Given the importance of education, the scale of the problem, and the complexity of delivering quality education in conflict, a shift is needed in the international response of all actors. Protection of education in conflict and safe schools must be a priority. Attacks on education are treated as business as usual in the course of conflict. The implied impunity and lack of targeted response by international institutions is robbing the futures of children being raised in these situations, and whom are most vulnerable to the effects of these conflicts. Provision of equitable education during conflict is vital.

Access to quality education during conditions of protracted conflict requires, inter alia: targeted support and incentives for teachers to continue teaching in conflict zones; targeted resources for teachers and administrators to deal with the psychological effects of conflict and other displacement events; support and partnerships that strongly link educational institutions with social service providers, local businesses, and international aid agencies; global grass roots mobilization and advocacy by NGOs, youth, and civil society around safeguarding education in conflict; and Higher Education Institutions incentivizing research, teaching and learning programs, and collaborative partnerships that raise awareness and encourage innovations around education during times of crisis.

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I believe that everyone of us has a role to play individually and collectively. Policymakers can prioritize, protect, and provide equitable access to education. World leaders can protect and also provide an equitable education. World leaders must be responsible for holding perpetrators of attacks responsible and accountable. We cannot wait. We need to act immediately.

– H.H. Sheikha Moza bint Nasser

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PARTICIPANT BIOGRAPHIES Moderator: President John J. DeGioia

For close to four decades, John J. DeGioia has helped to define and strengthen Georgetown University as a premier institution for education and research. A Georgetown alumnus, Dr. DeGioia served as a senior administrator and as a faculty member in the Department of Philosophy before becoming Georgetown’s 48th president in 2001.

As President, Dr. DeGioia is dedicated to deepening Georgetown’s tradition of academic excellence, its commitment to its Catholic and Jesuit identity, its engagement with the Washington, DC community, and its global mission. Under his leadership, Georgetown has become a leader in shaping the future landscape of higher education and has recently completed a $1.5 billion fund-raising campaign dedicated to enhancing the lifelong value of a Georgetown education.

Dr. DeGioia is a leading voice in addressing broader issues in education. He previously served as Chair of the Board of Directors of the American Council on Education and is currently Chair of the Board of Directors of the Forum for the Future of Higher Education. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the National Association of Independent Schools. He also serves as Chair of the Division I Committee on Academics for the NCAA, a commissioner on the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, a member of the Global University Leaders Forum at the World Economic Forum and a member of the Board of Directors for the Business-Higher Education Forum.

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Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser

Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser is the Founder and Chairperson of Education Above All Foundation - a global initiative that aims to foster development and generate a global movement, with a particular focus on areas affected by poverty, conflict and disaster, the needs of children, and the empowerment of youth and women. EAA’s main programs include Educate a Child (EAC), Protecting Education in Insecurity and Conflict (PEIC), Al-Fakhoora and Reach Out To Asia (ROTA).

Internationally, Her Highness works with the United Nations to support global education and other key areas of development for marginalized children and youth.

Since 2016, Her Highness has been an Advocate for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and was previously a member of the UN Millennium Development Goals Advocacy Group with a special emphasis on Goal 2 – universal primary education. Her Highness serves as a UNESCO Special Envoy for Basic and Higher Education, through which she launched multiple projects including the International Fund for Higher Education in Iraq.

In 2008, Her Highness founded Silatech to address the challenge of youth unemployment in the Middle East and North Africa region and beyond. Silatech aims to help youth in the most challenging environments and circumstances take control of their lives and their future, and lead change in the region. Through economic and social empowerment, Silatech creates meaningful employment opportunities through providing innovative solutions to its local, regional and international partners.

Domestically in Qatar, Her Highness currently serves as Chairperson of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), a private non-profit organisation founded in 1995. Its flagship project is Education City, which serves as a hub of academic excellence and houses branch campuses of renowned international universities and institutions. QF is also engaged in numerous scientific research and economic and social development projects.

Among Her Highness’s many honors are the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy, the George Bush Award for Excellence in Public Service, and the Chatham House Award for her contributions to improving international relations. In 2009, she was inducted into the Academie des Beaux Arts de l’Institut de France. Her Highness holds a Master of Arts (MA) in Public Policy in Islam from Hamad bin Khalifa University’s Faculty of Islamic Studies, and graduated from Qatar University with a degree in sociology. She has also been awarded honorary doctorates from Virginia Commonwealth University, Texas A&M University, Carnegie Mellon University, Imperial College London, and Georgetown University.

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Dr. Alaa Murabit

Alaa Murabit is a medical doctor, Canadian Meritorious Service Cross recipient, one of 17 Global Sustainable Development Goal Advocates appointed by the UN Secretary General, and a UN High-Level Commissioner on Health Employment & Economic Growth. In 2016 she founded a global Mentorship Programme for emerging leaders and co-founded The Omnis Institute, an independent non-profit organization committed to challenging critical global issues through the empowerment of emerging local leaders, and became the Executive Director of Phase Minus 1, which provides thought leadership in conflict resolution and inclusive security. Alaa previously founded and spearheaded The Voice of Libyan Women at the age of 21.

Her efficacy in security, health policy and sustainable development was most recently recognized as one of Canada’s Top 25 Most Influential Women in 2018 by Women of Influence. She also received the 2018 Nelson Mandela International Changemaker Award by The Nelson Mandela Family and PTTOW and the BlogHer 2018 Voice of the Year Award by Sheknows Media.

In 2017 Alaa was named a Forbes 30 Under 30, Aspen Institute Spotlight Scholar, and Bay St. Bull Canada’s 30x30. Her leadership in global policy and in elevating the role of women, particularly young, minority women, on global platforms was recognized by Harvard Law who named her the youngest 2017 Woman Inspiring Change.

Alaa completed high school in Saskatoon, Canada at the age of 15 and moved to Zawia, Libya where she enrolled in medical school and founded VLW at the age of 21. With a strong focus on challenging societal and cultural norms Alaa champions women’s participation in peace processes and conflict mediation. Her programs, such as the groundbreaking “Noor Campaign” are replicated internationally. Her TED Talk, released in July 2015, “What my religion really says about women” was selected as the TED Talk of the Day and one of four moving TED Talks you should watch right now by The New York Times.

Nicknamed “The Libyan Doogie Howser” by Jon Stewart and applauded for her innovative approach to security, she serves as advisor to numerous international security boards, think tanks and organizations, including the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (women, peace and security), UN Women Global Advisory Board, and the Council on Foreign Relations. An Ashoka fellow, she is the youngest recipient of the Marisa Bellisario International Humanitarian Award by the Italian Government, was named the “International Trust Women Hero 2014” by The New York Times, “One of 25 women under 25 to watch” by Newsweek, a “100 Top Woman” by the BBC and the SAFE Global Hero.

Alaa was nominated to address the UN General Assembly multiple times, including during the Commission on the Status of Women opening session, and was nominated to address the UN Security Council during the 15 year anniversary of Resolution 1325.

Alaa completed her medical degree at the University of Zawia and went on to complete her Masters in International Strategy and Diplomacy with Distinction at the London School of Economics.

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Ambassador Melanne Verveer

Ambassador Verveer is the Executive Director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security. She also serves as the Special Representative on Gender Issues for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Chairmanship.

Ambassador Verveer previously served as the first U.S. Ambassador for Global Women’s Issues, a position to which she was nominated by President Obama in 2009. She coordinated foreign policy issues and activities relating to the political, economic and social advancement of women, traveling to nearly sixty countries. She worked to ensure that women’s participation and rights are fully integrated into U.S. foreign policy, and she played a leadership role in the Administration’s development of the U.S. National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security. President Obama also appointed her to serve as the U.S. Representative to the UN Commission on the Status of Women.

From 2000-2008, she was the Chair and Co-CEO of Vital Voices Global Partnership, an international NGO that she co-founded to invest in emerging women leaders. During the Clinton administration, she served as Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to the First Lady. She also led the effort to establish the President’s Interagency Council on Women, and was instrumental in the adoption of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000. She is the co-author of Fast Forward: How Women Can Achieve Power and Purpose (2015).

Ambassador Verveer has a B.S. and M.S. from Georgetown University and holds several honorary degrees. In 2013, she was the Humanitas Visiting Professor at the University of Cambridge and in 2017, she was selected to deliver the Tanner Lecture at Clare Hall College, Cambridge. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Trilateral Commission, and she serves on the Boards of the National Endowment for Democracy, the Atlantic Council, as well as the World Bank Advisory Council on Gender and Development. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Secretary of State’s Award for Distinguished Service. In 2008, the President of Ukraine awarded her the Order of Princess Olga.

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