Your Excellencies, colleagues and friends,
\n\nI want to start by saying a very sincere thank you to everyone here for your commitment to building a better future for children affected by crisis.
\n\nFor every child, education is possibility. It gives children knowledge, confidence and crucially freedom to shape their own future. Few investments are more powerful.
\n\nYet today, 258 million school aged children are affected by crisis.
\n\nFor so many of those children, conflict, displacement or climate shocks mean losing not just a classroom, but the stability, opportunity and hope that education represents.
\n\nEducation can provide safety and protection in the midst of crisis. It can equip young people with the skills to rebuild their lives and communities. And crucially, it can help break cycles of poverty, displacement and conflict.
\n\nIt is fundamental to human security and it reflects a belief that every human life should be cherished, and that every child should have the chance to live safely, with dignity and hope.
\n\nAt a time of global uncertainty, we cannot , must not lose sight of that.
\n\nNeeds are growing, while the resources available to respond are under immense pressure.
\n\nWhat we do today and what we do next is critical.
\n\nGovernments have a central role, but they cannot meet this challenge alone.
\n\nThat is why the United Kingdom is proud to have helped establish Education Cannot Wait, and the huge coalition that stands behind it.
\n\nWe are committing £80 million to Education Cannot Wait for 2027 to 2030. We do so because we believe every child should have the opportunity to learn, wherever they are and whatever crisis they face.
\n\nBut this replenishment must be about more than raising resources. It must also galvanise the international system through which those resources are delivered.
\n\nThat means working in genuine partnership with countries and communities. Delivering quickly when emergencies strike, while helping education systems recover for the longer term.
\n\nIt means international organisations working together more effectively, and putting local leadership at the centre so every pound or dollar delivers the greatest possible impact for children.
\n\nThis is part of the wider reform the United Kingdom is championing through UN80 and the wider humanitarian reset.
\n\nIn a world of constrained resources, we need institutions that work smarter, cooperate more effectively, and focus relentlessly on the people they exist to serve.
\n\nBecause investment in education is investment in our wider security.
\n\nIt is investment in safer communities, stronger societies and a more hopeful future for millions of children.
\n\nTogether, we can ensure a child’s future is defined by their potential, not by the crisis into which they were born.
\n\nThank you.
\nThe Minister of State has responsibility for:
\n\nAfrica
\ndevelopment and humanitarian
\ninternational finance
\nclimate and energy security
\n