Geneva: Tony Mwaba takes part in the High-Level Conference on the Financing of the "Education Cannot Wait" Programme

During a working visit to Geneva, Switzerland, the Congolese Minister of Primary, Secondary, and Technical Education (EPST), Professor Tony Mwaba Kazadi, attended the opening of the High-Level Conference on Financing the “Education Cannot Wait” program on Thursday, February 16, 2023. Objective: to provide world leaders with an opportunity to fulfill the promise of universal education. Hosted by “Education Cannot Wait” and Switzerland, and co-organized by Colombia, Germany, Niger, Norway, and South Sudan, the conference will last two days, from February 16 to 17. This Friday, the closing day, the head of the EPST plans to speak to mobilize $46 million to scale up the educational program currently implemented in three provinces of the DRC: Tanganyika, Ituri, and Kasaï-Central.   Minister Tony Mwaba Kazadi will also meet with the UNICEF representative in the DRC, Mr. Grant Leaty, as well as with the director of the “Education Cannot Wait” program, Ms. Yasmine Sherif, whom he will likely invite for a second mission to the DRC to jointly assess the progress of education projects in emergency situations, particularly in the eastern part of the country, which is plagued by a major security crisis that is severely affecting education. “Education Cannot Wait” (ECW) is the United Nations’ global fund for education, particularly for children affected by protracted crises and recurring conflicts—an investment in a better future by working for peace where there is war, for equality where injustice reigns, and for prosperity where poverty prevails.   This program has already supported the DRC through an initial emergency response administered by UNHCR and the 2021–2024 multi-year resilience program, co-administered by UNICEF in collaboration with the Education Cluster and WFP regarding school canteens.