Every September, global leaders converge in New York City for the United Nations General Assembly. This week's many events and forums will be attended by Heads of State and government officials, business leaders, activists and media from around the world. They will discuss ways to tackle global challenges such as providing all children with access to quality education.
The Global Partnership for Education will participate in several events through representation by our board chair Julia Gillard, CEO Alice Albright, members of our board and members of partner organizations.
Last year at the UN General Assembly we launched our Second Replenishment campaign to raise a historic level of resources for our 2015- 2018 funding cycle. So far we’ve raised an unprecedented US$26 billion from 27 GPE developing country partners through their commitments to increase their domestic education budgets (an increase of 25% since the last replenishment). Donor governments have pledged US$2.1 billion, 60% of the way to our goal of US$3.5 billion. We also received pledges for the first time from private foundations and from a regional development bank to support an innovative financing pilot program. We continue to work to secure the additional $1.4 billion to close our program financing gap.
You can stay updated throughout the week by subscribing to our blog and news alert, connecting with us on Twitter and Facebook, following our partners’ work through our Global Education Buzz, or by tuning into the livestreams described below.
LIVESTREAM SCHEDULE
Monday, September 22
#UpForSchool Youth Rally & Petition Launch
Time: 4:00 PM ET
Livestream: The event will be streamed from New York University. The feed will be live from 4:30-6:00 PM at www.aworldatschool.org/rally
Hashtag: #UpForSchool
Description: Youth leaders from more than 60 countries will hold a rally in New York to launch the #UpForSchool petition. The petition will call for urgent action on behalf of 58 million children currently excluded from school because they are child laborers, married too young, discriminated against because they are girls, exploited or living in war-torn regions where their schools are under attack. Sign and share the petition at www.upforschool.org. If you’re in NYC and would like to attend, please RSVP: www.aworldatschool.org/rally
Participants: United Nations Special Envoy Gordon Brown(@OfficeGSBrown), Graça Machel, UN Youth Envoy Ahmad Alhendawi (@AhmadAlhendawi), CNN's Isha Sesay (@IshaSesayCNN), #BringBackOurGirls leader Hadiza Bela Usman (@hadizabalausman), Avaaz founder Ricken Patel (@Ricken_Patel), and Rovio Angry Bird's Peter Vesterbacka (@pversterbacka)
Tuesday, September 23
A World at School September Forum
Time: 8:30-11:00 AM ET
Livestream: http://bit.ly/edcountdownlive
Hashtag: #EducationCountdown
Description: The A World at School September Forum convenes global development partners, including high-level representatives from government, business, faith organizations, NGOs, UN agencies, foundations, youth organizations, teachers and civil society to discuss activities and momentum taking place to accelerate progress on access and learning in the final sprint until the end of 2015.
The Countdown is On: All in for 2015
Time: 8:30-9:45 AM ET
Participants: Gordon Brown (@OfficeGSBrown), UN Special Envoy for Global Education, Elias Bou Saab (@EliasBouSaab), Education Minister, Lebanon, Her Highness Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser, Founder | Educate a Child, Peter Vesterbacka (@pversterbacka), Mighty Eagle, Rovio Entertainment Ltd.
Getting Serious About Results: The Grand Convergence of Education and Health
Time: 10:00-11:00 AM ET
Participants: Sarah Brown (@SarahBrownUK), Executive Chair, Global Business Coalition for Education. Mark Dybul, Executive Director, Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, V Shankar, CEO of Africa, Middle East, Europe and the Americas, Standard Chartered
Wednesday, September 24
Clinton Global Initiative: Equality for Girls and Women: 2034 Instead of 2134?
Time: 8:45 AM - 10:30 AM ET
Livestream: http://live.clintonglobalinitiative.org/
Hashtag: #CGI2014
Description: When women participate in the economy and politics, the positive effects ripple across entire societies. Imagine a world where women make up half of executives, government officials, and landowners, and whose salaries equal men’s. What if this world also ensured that girls and women were as educated and as healthy as men, and were free from violence, trafficking, and abuse? While tremendous progress has been made over the last 20 years in achieving equality for girls and women around the world, the pace of change needs to be significantly accelerated. For example, with current projections, women will not comprise half of the world’s elected representatives until 2065 or half the world’s leaders until 2134.
Participants: Hillary Rodham Clinton (@hillaryclinton), Former U.S. Secretary of State and U.S. Senator from New York; Melinda Gates (@melindagates), Co-chair and Trustee, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Julia Gillard (@juliagillardgpe), Chair of the Global Partnership for Education
Quality Education for the World We Want
Time: 3:15-5:00 pm ET
Livestream: www.webtv.un.org
Hashtag: #EducationFirst
Description: In one of the largest political line-ups for education, world leaders are coming together for the UN Secretary-General’s Global Education First Initiative’s (GEFI) high-level event, pledging their commitment to put equality in access and learning at the heart of the future development agenda. First Lady Michelle Obama of the United States will deliver the special keynote address.
Participants: In addition to First Lady Michelle Obama, among the 26 speakers are 12 Presidents and Prime Ministers from all regions of the world, as well as Heads of UN agencies and the World Bank, civil society, multilateral agencies and other dignitaries. Find the full list here: http://www.globaleducationfirst.org/4455.htm
Saturday, September 27
Global Citizen Festival
Time: 3:00-10 pm ET
Livestream: http://www.globalcitizen.org and www.msnbc.com
Hashtag: #GlobalCitizenFestival
Description: World leaders will join a star-studded line up of musicians, celebrity hosts including Hugh Jackman and Jessica Alba, and 60,000 global citizens on the great lawn of New York City's Central Park. The free-ticketed concert will feature performances from JAY Z, No Doubt, Carrie Underwood, fun., The Roots, and Tiesto, and will call for accelerated progress in the areas of vaccines, education and sanitation.
Participants: Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India; Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Bangladesh; United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon; Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank Group; Erna Solberg, Prime Minister of Norway; Sushil Koirala, Prime Minister of Nepal; Dr. Roger Kolo, Prime Minister, Republic of Madagascar; Helle Thorning-Schmidt, Prime Minister of Denmark, ; Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia; Xavier Bettel, Prime Minister of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.