SDG advocate Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser joins SDG advocates and UN Secretary-General António Guterres to celebrate an important milestone in addressing a growing global challenge. The Education Above All Foundation, founded by her Highness, aims to help 10 million children receive a quality education. 

Her Highness Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser, UN SDG Advocate and Founder and Chairperson of Education Above All (EAA) Foundation, announced last week in New York that 10 million of the most marginalized children worldwide will receive a quality education through EAA’s Educate A Child programme, a major milestone towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Her Highness joined other SDG advocates, including co-chair H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the President of Ghana, Forest Whittaker, Founder and CEO of the Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative, and Ambassador Dho Young-Shim, Chairperson of the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s Sustainable Tourism for Eliminating Poverty (ST-EP) Foundation, to mark this achievement and demonstrate that real progress is possible through collaborative efforts.

Speaking at the high-profile event, held at the New York Public Library on Friday 27 April, United Nations Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. António Guterres stressed the power of education, saying, “Our dream of a sustainable future cannot be realized if we do not support children’s dreams to gain an education.”

Her Highness Shiekha Moza, and Antonio Guterres, were also joined by Ms. Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, and Henreitte Fore, Executive Director of UNICEF. During the high-level panel discussion, Henrietta Fore spoke about Education Above All’s achievement, saying “Education is the opportunity that lies before the world today”.

Sheikha Moza also called for more partners to replicate and scale up EAA’s successful formula.

“The world is not a safe place, yet… Millions of children are still waiting and in desperate need of our help. Let’s work together to ensure a better future for all of them and for the world we share. Believe me, it is possible,” she stated.

In support of the event, Ms. Shakira Mebarak, artist, SDG Advocate and founder of Pies Descalzos Foundation, and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador recorded a short video message, congratulating Education Above All on its achievement.

According to UNESCO, the total number of primary age out of school children is now 63 million.  Educate A Child, a programme of Education Above All, working with partners, has already enrolled 6.6 million out of school children around the world facing a number of barriers to education, such as poverty, discrimination, natural disaster and conflict.  EAA has now secured the remaining commitments necessary to reach over 10 million children.

EAA believes that protecting education is essential to achieving SDG 4 “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all” and contributing to the broader 2030 Agenda and human development. The provision of education has to be supplemented by protection of education and prevention of war, conflict and insecurity.

For more information:

• Photographs attached.
• Video featuring Shakira Mebarak available here.
• Video of the event available here.
• Visit educationaboveall.org, follow us on Twitter @EAA_Foundation, Facebook and Instagram @educationaboveall_eaa.