$350m extra funding for No Lost Generation programme for Syrian refugee children

Almost $350 million in new funding for the No Lost Generation initiative to aid Syrian refugee children was announced today.

The commitments will help reduce a $585 million gap in funding for education and protection to safeguard the future of millions of children affected by the conflict in Syria, now in its fourth year.

No Lost Generation is a global initiative to invest in expanding access to learning, psychological support and protective environments for those children.

The new funding, announced at UNICEF, includes $145 million from the EU. USAID is making a $45 million investment in education over the next four years in Lebanon and up to $45 million by 2019 to improve teaching and learning processes nationwide in public schools in Jordan.

Norway and Germany pledged $10 million each to the No Lost Generation initiative, while the Netherlands and the Republic of Korea respectively promised $9 million and $1 million.

The UK’s Department for International Development is giving up to $82 million to bolster education and protection programmes in Syria and across the region.

UN Special Envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown today met the education ministers of Jordan and Lebanon.

Three days into the Lebanese school year, there are fewer Syrian refugee children in school than there were at this time last year. Lebanon’s education minister, Elias Bou Saab, said that he could get 200,000 children into school immediately if the donor community provided the necessary funds.

The extra funding announcement comes as a progress report – No Lost Generation One Year On – shows that over the past year, an additional 770,000 children affected by the Syria crisis benefitted from some form of education. Almost 660,000 children received psychological support.

UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake said: “Helping the children of Syria is investing in the future of Syria, as today’s children are tomorrow’s doctors, teachers, lawyers and leaders.

“Investing in this generation is helping them acquire the skills and knowledge they will need to rebuild their communities when peace returns.

“We need to heal their hearts and minds. And there is so much more to be done.”