From 24 to 28 October 2022, the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Yemen and UNESCO gathered education sector partners in Cairo, Egypt, to coordinate and advance the education response in the country.

Donors, United Nations agencies, international and national organisations and civil society organisations met under the umbrella of the Local Education Group (LEG) and Development Partners Group (DPG) in the presence of H.E. Mr Ali Al-Abab, Deputy Minister of Education of the Republic of Yemen.

The meeting allowed the Ministry and partners to coordinate in view of adopting harmonized approaches in key areas in the education field. It also allowed to have an overview of the new funds available under the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), which are aimed at bringing a strong support to the education system in the coming years.

Among the achievements of the meeting, the LEG agreed upon launching the development of a holistic Yemen Education Sector Plan 2024-2030 and to advance towards the availability of the first country-wide education census since 2015-2016. Both actions will look at education in a comprehensive way, encompassing the nexus between humanitarian response and development.

Costanza Farina, Director of the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in the Arab States in Beirut said, “Developing a new Education Sector Plan and building a strong Education Management Information System will allow us all to shape, through data, a new vision for education in the country.” “It is only through this evidence-based approach,” continued Farina, “that we will succeed in providing an even higher quality educational response, and in attracting more funds for a response that will embrace both humanitarian and development aspects.”

Over the past years, UNESCO has been supporting Yemen in the development of the Transitional Education Plan 2019-2023 and in the inception phase of the construction of an Education Management and Information System (EMIS). Taking into consideration this experience and UNESCO’s expertise and leading role on Sustainable Development Goal 4 on Quality Education, the Ministry of Education and education partners asked the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in the Arab States to take the lead on supporting the development of the Education Sector Plan 2024-2030 (ESP) and EMIS. This work will be performed thanks to the active involvement of the UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning.

Other pivotal decisions were taken regarding the Education Sector Plan and the future of EMIS in Yemen. Upon UNESCO’s proposal, the Ministry of Education agreed to establish joint technical teams representing the whole of Yemen, which will steer the development of the ESP and the next EMIS phase. This is a sturdy step forward in the Yemen peace process, which resonates with UNESCO’s mandate and mission of “Building peace in the minds of men and women” through education, culture, and science. A big achievement for a better and more sustainable future for Yemeni children and youth.