With the 4th International Conference on the Safe Schools Declaration (SSD) taking place in Abuja, Nigeria for the first time on the 25th to 27th October 2021. Here are five things you should know about the significance of the conference to children and young people around the world.

1. Why is the Safe Schools Declaration (SSD) so important?

Because between 2015 and 2019:
• there were more than 11.000 attacks on schools
• the attacks killed or injured more than 22 000 students and teachers
• the attacks took place in 93 countries.

The countries that were heavily affected by attacks include (the list is not exclusive): Yemen, Palestine, Syria, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The most prevalent forms of attacks on education were: attacks on students, teachers, and other education personnel; military use of schools and universities; forcing or attracting (recruiting) children into joining armed groups at school or on the way to school; sexual violence at, or on the way to or from, school or university and attacks on higher education.

Because of the harmful effects of military use of schools and attacks on education, a group of activists, military experts, and government representatives came together in 2014 to develop a guideline to protect schools and universities from military use.
• The Guidelines calls on armed groups not to use schools and universities, and only as a last resort.
• The Guidelines calls on governments to include the protection of education in military manuals and instructions to armed forces.
• The Guidelines calls on governments to record cases of military use of schools and universities.

2. What is the Safe Schools Declaration (SSD)?

The Safe Schools Declaration is a commitment from governments around the world to keep schools, students and teachers safe in times of conflict. The Safe Schools Declaration includes seven commitments (explained in the next point) that countries that have endorsed, or signed up to the Declaration, commit to act upon and implement.

As the Guidelines to protect schools and universities from military use were developed, civil society organizations and non- governmental organizations around the world, including Save the Children, demanded that children and young people can continue to go to school in conflict affected areas and emergency settings.

Civil society organizations identified a couple of states that could help push for access to education and schools, and to protect education from military use and attacks. As a result, civil societies and the UN, along with a couple of states launched the Safe Schools Declaration in 2015.

To date, 112 states- more than half of the UN member states, have endorsed (signed up to) the Declaration. States that endorse the declaration, sign up to these seven commitments (promises).

3. What are the Seven Commitments in the SSD?

The Seven Commitments (promises) in the Safe Schools Declaration are:
• Improve national laws: use the Guidelines to make sure laws and policies at the country level keep children and schools safe.

• Collect good information and data: understanding the problem will ensure that our solutions are good and meet the specific needs in a country or community. We need to collect data and information on: where and when are attacks on schools happening, who are the victims of attacks, and how is the military using schools and universities during armed conflict,
We should use existing monitoring and reporting mechanisms to help collect this information and ensure victims get the help they need without discrimination.

• Find and punish the responsible actors: in order to put the responsible actors to justice we need to find out who they are. When the responsible actors are held to account and punished for their actions, it can discourage others from doing the same.

• Ensure that education prevents conflict: in order to prevent future conflict, it is important that education is "conflict – sensitive". That means that what the students learn should be free from discrimination and exclude content that can intensify conflict between groups. Furthermore, it means that education should be accessible and available to everyone without discrimination.

• Ensure that education continues during armed conflict: many organizations and actors work to ensure that education continues during armed conflict. This work must be supported and strengthened. This work can include re-building schools that have been damaged or providing education material to children who are prevented from going to school due to conflict.

• Support the work of the UN to protect children, and of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict (Virginia Gamba) and other relevant UN organs, entities and agencies.

• Meet on a regular basis: inviting international organizations and civil society to assess the progress of turning the declaration into real change on the ground and the use of the guidelines. The international conference that is taking place every two years is part of this promise (commitment).

4. What is the 4th International Conference on the Safe Schools Declaration going to be about?

The Government of Nigeria, together with the Governments of Argentina, Norway, Spain, African Union Commission and the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack are hosting the Fourth International Conference on the Safe Schools Declaration.

The Abuja conference is a biennial conference with the overarching aim of taking stock and reviewing progress in implementation of the Safe Schools Declaration (SSD) and the Guidelines for Protecting Schools and Universities from Military Use during Armed Conflict (Guidelines), as well as encouraging commitment and action in protecting education from attack.

The Conference is a forum for states, and multilateral and civil society organizations, to exchange experiences and learning, and to present their strategies, progress, as well as challenges, in making the promise of safe education into a reality.

The Conference is also an opportunity for states to hold each other accountable for advancing their commitment to implement the SSD. The SSD has now been embraced by well over half of all UN member states, with many having had six years to begin putting the Declaration commitments into practice.

The central theme of the Abuja conference will therefore be identifying good practice in implementing key commitments in the Safe Schools Declaration and highlighting how this good practice can be strengthened and adapted to different contexts. The aim is to move beyond endorsement and expression of commitment to encourage states to accelerate implementation of the SSD.

While the Abuja Conference will have an international focus, as it is the first to be held on the African continent, and in a country and region severely affected by attacks on education, the experiences of Nigeria and the Sahel region in addressing attacks on education, will be highlighted.

The Conference will provide an opportunity for states to announce new endorsements and showcase progress in implementation, providing an impetus for states to join the SSD and strengthen implementation ahead of the Conference.

5. How can you participate?

Registration is open to government representatives of all UN member states, international organizations, civil society, and academia.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and travel restrictions, the Conference will be a hybrid event with in-person and virtual components to accommodate all participants. This will provide an opportunity for everyone to participate and influence the discussions from anywhere in the world, provided there is access to internet.
The Nigerian Center for Disease Control (NCDC) is responsible for adherence to COVID-19 safety protocols and will be providing guidance and ensure compliance for the duration of the conference.

However, all participants joining virtually are requested to register for the Conference by completing an online form here Registration - Fourth International Conference on the Safe Schools Declaration (education.gov.ng).

Some of the participants you can expect to see at the conference will include government representatives, including ministers of education, foreign affairs and defense, as well as high level UN officials. Civil society and non-governmental organizations including us at Save the Children will be participating. As will children and young people- and hopefully you!

Further information is available on the Conference website at ssdconference.education.gov.ng