Request support on coordination, information management, capacity development or other education in emergencies areas.
Demande de soutien en coordination, gestion de l’information, développement des capacités et autres domaines de l'éducation en situation d'urgence.
لطلب الدعم في مجال التنسيق ، إدارة المعلومات ، تنمية القدرات أو في اي مجال من مجالات التعليم في مناطق الطوارئ
Solicitar apoyo en coordinación, gestión de la información, desarrollo de capacidades u otra áreas en educación en emergencias.
What is advocacy?Advocacy is defined as the deliberate process, based on demonstrated evidence, to directly and indirectly influence decision-makers, stakeholders and relevant audiences to support and implement actions that contribute to the fulfillment of children’s and women’s rights. (UNICEF) |
Why is advocacy key at the country cluster or working group level?
Robust advocacy is one of the key core functions of a cluster at the country level. This can be done by i) identifying concerns and contributing to key messaging and action by HC, HCT; and ii) undertaking advocacy on behalf of the cluster, cluster members, including national and local partners and affected people.
Indeed, advocacy is key to raising the profile of the issues, mobilizing funds, ensuring the inclusion of education in emergency responses, and linking it with other key humanitarian sectors.
For the Education Clusters at the national and sub-national levels, the core advocacy objective is for education to be seen as an essential component of an emergency response alongside other sectors.
Why is advocacy key at the Global Education Cluster level?
As a convening body, the GEC is uniquely positioned to raise awareness, address systemic challenges and influence solutions, both with and on behalf of the education sector, at country and global levels.
The GEC amplifies the voices of education clusters at the global level, profiling their priorities, needs and results. It addresses systemic challenges in the education sector, and humanitarian responses and coordination systems more broadly, by disseminating relevant evidence, guidance and policy. Its advocacy bolster political will and resources for education in emergencies and influence the coordination system to be more effective, accountable and inclusive.
For the GEC, the core advocacy objective is for education to be enhanced on the humanitarian agenda and receive adequate support. The importance of advocacy is highlighted in the GEC 2022-2025 Strategy, as the fourth objective of the strategy focuses on “Advocate for the prioritization of education in emergencies”.
Resources available
The Global Education Cluster has made available different resources to support clusters’ advocacy efforts. These materials can be found below.
Key advocacy messages: This document offers topline, curated advocacy messages that education clusters can use and tailor to their needs (e.g. speaking points, newsletter, social media posts, etc). The document is centered around key themes for education in emergencies. It is not exhaustive and will be periodically updated (coming soon)
Key advocacy materials on education in emergencies: This document presents key documents and materials developed by stakeholders in EiE to guide education clusters, working groups and other interested users to browse through the advocacy resources available online. The materials presented highlights the key principles of advocacy in humanitarian settings, how to develop an advocacy strategy and how advocacy can be used in a cluster’s context.
GEC Brand Identity Guidelines and country clusters and working groups logos: The GEC has developed its own brand identity with a dedicated color scheme, fonts, and logos to be used by each country cluster and working group, as well as by the Global Education Cluster. Indeed, having a set of strong and consistent brand elements helps create a sense of consistency and clarity, as well as a unified message and visual identity for public communication. You can find the brand identity guidelines and the different logos in a downloadable format here.
Country example and best practices: This list presents education cluster and working groups examples of advocacy and communication materials developed to raise awareness on different aspects of EiE in a dedicated context. The resources available aim to inspire others to develop their own materials and can be used as stepping stones to be built on, to maximize efficiency and avoid duplication.
- Occupied Palestinian Territories Education Cluster: Infographic: Education under Attack, 2021
- Syria Cross Border Education Cluster: Presentation: EiE Needs in Syria, 2022
- Ethiopia Education Cluster: Quarterly Newsletter, 2022
Photo and photo libraries: Adding an image often reinforces the message, as it can capture attention, evoke emotions and can support conveying a large amount of information in a short amount of time. As children and youth are key beneficiaries of EiE, images depicting children in schools can be used to support a message.
- UNICEF has a photo library available for use. Please use pictures that do not present the UNICEF logo and provide credits as follows: “© UNICEF /photographer’s last name”.
- Your own photos: when taking pictures of children for communication purposes, please be sure to comply with these guidelines to ensure child safeguarding practices.