Who We Are
Children attend school in South Kivu province, Mwenga Territory, Democratic Republic of the Congo. It has been difficult to construct schools in communities in this region due to years of war.
© SOS Education 2010
The Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA) was established in 2010 by organizations from the fields of education in emergencies and conflict-affected fragile states, higher education, protection, international human rights, and international humanitarian law who were concerned about on-going attacks on educational institutions, their students, and staff in countries affected by conflict and insecurity.
GCPEA is governed by a steering committee made up of the following international organizations: CARA (Council for At-Risk Academics), Human Rights Watch (HRW), Institute of International Education/ IIE Scholar Rescue Fund, Plan International, Protect Education in Insecurity and Conflict (PEIC), a program of the Education Above All Foundation, Save the Children, UNICEF, UNESCO, and UNHCR. GCPEA is a project of the Tides Center, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.
Our Vision
A world where all people can teach and learn in safety and free from fear.
Mission Statement
We advocate for the protection of students, teachers, schools, and universities from attack.
Our Goals
- To highlight the incidence and impact of attacks on education in conflict and insecurity among key actors and cultivate public support for safe education.
- To promote better systems for monitoring and reporting attacks on education.
- To promote effective programmes and policy to protect education from attack, including prevention and response.
- To encourage adherence to existing international law protecting education and the strengthening of international norms and standards as needed; and
- To fight impunity for attacks on education by promoting and supporting a range of accountability measures.
Download GCPEA's brochure here
The Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA) is extremely grateful to all of its supporters, past and present, including Protect Education in Insecurity and Conflict (PEIC), a project of Education Above All, the Government of Norway, Education Cannot Wait, NoVo Foundation, UNICEF, Open Society Foundations, and Columbia University’s Program on Forced Migration and Health. GCPEA also receives support from donors who wish to remain anonymous. If you or your organization are interested in being a contributor to GCPEA, please contact gcpea@protectingeducation.org
