There is growing recognition that progress on the Sustainable Development Goal for education (SDG4) is fundamental to the achievement of all the other SDGs. But two years into implementation of the SDG framework, the financing breakthrough to achieve the Education 2030 agenda has not been made.

Domestic financing is the most critical element in the delivery of national education targets. While aid still has an important role, over 97% of resources for education must come from the domestic budgets of low- and lower-middle-income countries. Yet alongside the stagnation of aid, education fails to secure the level of priority needed in domestic budgets. Even those low- and lower-middle-income countries which have met the target of at least 20% of budget to education and 6% GDP, the base from which they start is often insufficient for this to truly deliver the full definition of quality education – let alone all targets set by the sustainable development agenda.

It is time for a radical shift. Efforts to increase external resources, while welcome, must go hand in hand with international action to support countries to meet their education targets sustainably and leave no-one behind. Collaborative efforts must be made to deliver tax justice, which we believe is the key to unlocking financing for education, and many other public services for everyone.

Speakers include:

Professor Shamsul Alam, Senior Secretary, Ministry of Planning, Government of Bangladesh
Alice Albright, Chief Executive, Global Partnership for Education
Dereje Alemayehu, Chair, Global Alliance for Tax Justice and Senior Economic Policy Advisor of Tax Justice Network Africa
Shermaine Barrett, Vice President (Caribbean), International Council for Adult Education
Irina Bokova, Director-General, UNESCO
Jo Bourne, Chief of Education, UNICEF
Camilla Croso, President, Global Campaign for Education
H.E. Mr. Fander Falconí, Minister for Education, Government of Ecuador (TBC)
Susan Hopgood, President, Education International
Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Columbia University and Special Advisor to the United Nations Secretary-General on the Sustainable Development Goals

This event is convened by the Global Campaign for Education, Education International, and the Global Alliance for Tax Justice, and is held in alliance with ActionAid, RESULTS Educational Fund, Light for the World, the International Council for Adult Education, Oxfam, and the Open Society Foundations.

Registrations are closed

Sustainably Financing Education