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Minister for the Diaspora and International Development, Ciarán Cannon, announced today that Ireland will more than double its funding to the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) – bringing Ireland’s contribution to €25 million over the next three years.  

Speaking at the GPE Financing Conference in Dakar, Senegal Minister Cannon said: 

Ireland believes that quality education is a fundamental right. The education of girls, in particular, has far reaching effects on family health, nutrition and empowers girls to prioritise the education of their children.

The Minister noted that Ireland is at the vanguard of countries prioritising the education of children in conflict situations and he welcomed the GPE’s increasing focus on countries affected by conflict ensuring a continuity of education for some of the world’s most vulnerable children.

Together with funding from other countries, Ireland’s investment in the Global Partnership for Education is yielding results. Millions more children are in primary school; an increasing number of children are finishing primary school and more girls are staying on into secondary school. Not only is the GPE one of the largest funders of education in developing countries it is also a global thought leader in how to address the key education challenges faced by these countries. It works closely with Ministers and Departments of Education to improve the quality of education, ensure all children go to school, and strengthen education systems.