Websitehttps://tinyurl.com/y7b6oz2c

Worldwide school closures, as a result of COVID-19, have already affected the education of over 1.5 billion children. Just as schools start to re-open, the second effect of COVID-19 on education will be felt: an economic crisis that acutely threatens public finances and the capacity of governments to maintain present provision let alone expand in order to achieve SDG4.

Aid can, of course, play a role in filling some of the potential gaps in education financing, but there is no prospect of sufficient resources being mobilised from international sources. The vast bulk of the financing needed will, as always, come from domestic sources. But education will be on the backfoot compared with other sectors such as health in competing for a greater share of national budgets. And scrambling for a greater share of a shrinking overall national pot will not be a credible answer.

This is the moment when the education community needs to look at bigger strategic financing issues that affect the whole public sector to find common solutions to defend and increase domestic financing for all public services. This will require coordinated action for example looking at action on debt, tax reform, macro-economic policies, public sector wage bills and other elements affecting sustainable domestic financing.

International actors will have a key role to play in transforming their own policies and practices to leverage and incentivise sustainable domestic financing of education, alongside other public services, post-COVID.

Organised by ActionAid, this webinar convenes key global actors in an unprecedented dialogue, including developing country governments, civil society organisations, philanthropic foundations, UN agencies and multi-stakeholder partnerships. Together can we ensure that our support is not just a short-term plaster but part of a long-term cure?

Join speakers including:

Julia Sanchez-Secretary General, ActionAid International;
Hon. David Moinina Sengeh -Minister of Education, Government of Sierra Leone;
Caroline Othim – Policy Coordinator, Global Alliance for Tax Justice;
David Archer – Head of Public Services, ActionAid;
Dennis Sinyolo – Senior Coordinator, Education International;
Nalucha Nganga Ziba – Country Director, ActionAid Zambia;
Stefania Giannini– Assistant Director-General, UNESCO;
Nora Fyles – Director, United Nations Girls Education Initiative;
Camilla Croso – Director of Education, Open Society Foundations;
John Rendel – Director, Peter Cundill Foundation and Michael Gibbons – Wellspring Advisers.

Webinar Sustainable domestic financing of education in the post-COVID context
Date: 28 July 2020
Time: 14:00 – 16:00 (CEST)
Registrations: https://tinyurl.com/y7b6oz2c