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Forest Whitaker's call for school safety
From October 25 to 27, 2021, the government of Nigeria, along with the governments of Argentina, Norway, Spain, as well as the African Union Commission and the Global Coalition for Protecting Education from Attack (UNESCO is a founding member of the Global Coalition's steering committee) hosted the 4th International Conference on the Safe Schools Declaration in Abuja. Our UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Peace and Reconciliation, Forest Whitaker, delivered a message on the importance of protecting education from attack.
The aim of the conference was to bring the international community together to strengthen the implementation of the Safe Schools Declaration, and to identify concrete actions that states must take to ensure perpetrators are held accountable for their attacks on schools, continuity of education at all times, and justice for survivors.
The world will not be able to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals if we fail to protect children and education from attack, and guarantee the right of learners and teachers to live in safe spaces. Many governments have recognized this and endorsed the Safe Schools Declaration, but more, if not all, governments need to join (...)
Forest Whitaker, artist and social activist, is founder and CEO of the Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative (WPDI). He is committed to providing educational tools and economic opportunities to young women and men in places affected by exclusion, violence and armed conflict. Over the past ten years, WPDI has reached approximately 1.5 million people in Southern Sudan, South Africa, Uganda, Mexico and the United States. Mr. Whitaker has brought to his humanitarian work the creativity he has demonstrated as one of Hollywood's most accomplished and versatile personalities. In addition to his celebrated dramatic performances - he won the Oscar for Best Actor in 2007 - he is an acclaimed director and producer dedicated to promoting young talent.
This conference sends a clear message that we also need to step up our efforts, moving from commitment to practice. Everyone should be involved, including governments, NGOs and UN agencies. We need to find new ways and resources to protect schools and educational communities from attack.
