Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), August 3, 2026 (SPS) – The Sahrawi Republic participated on Monday in the Ambassadors' Open Meeting on Education in Conflict Areas, organized by the African Union's Political Affairs, Peace and Security Department at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa.
The meeting was chaired by Algeria's Permanent Representative to the African Union, Ambassador Mohamed Khaled, and brought together African Union commissioners, representatives of member states, and development partners.
The Sahrawi Republic was represented by its Permanent Representative to the African Union, Ambassador Lamine Baali, who stressed in his address that education in areas affected by armed conflict is not a luxury but a fundamental right and a lifeline that provides children with stability, dignity, and hope for a better future. He emphasized that investing in the education of refugees is a direct investment in peace and the reconstruction of societies.
The Sahrawi ambassador noted that armed conflicts undermine the foundations of education by targeting schools, displacing teachers, and depriving thousands of children of their right to education. He pointed out that refugee children—especially girls—face multiple challenges that extend beyond poverty to exclusion, insecurity, and the psychological consequences of war.
The representative of the Sahrawi Republic called on the African Union and its partners to take practical measures to ensure the continuity of education in conflict-affected areas. These measures include financing schools in refugee camps and conflict zones, providing safe learning environments, supporting teachers through training, adequate resources, and psychosocial care, integrating refugee children into national education plans, and improving teachers' working conditions and incentives to ensure that no child is left outside the education system.
The Sahrawi ambassador further stressed that protecting educational institutions must become a priority within Africa's peace and security policies. He called for strengthening the principles of safeguarding schools from attacks during armed conflicts so that children can attend school safely and teachers can carry out their mission in secure environments.
Concluding his remarks, the Sahrawi diplomat stated that every refugee child carrying a book instead of a weapon represents a victory for peace. He added that empowering refugees through education, capacity-building, and skills development constitutes a cornerstone for achieving sustainable development and promoting peace and stability across Africa. Protecting education, he emphasized, ultimately means protecting the future of the entire continent.
Participants reviewed progress toward establishing a comprehensive continental framework for protecting education and ensuring the continuity of educational services in areas affected by armed conflict. They also discussed ways to accelerate the implementation of the Safe Schools Declaration and integrate it into national policies to safeguard educational institutions from the impact of conflict. In addition, the meeting examined measures to enhance teachers' safety and welfare, provide flexible learning solutions for displaced and refugee children, and strengthen coordination among African Union institutions and partners to guarantee children's right to education, even in the most fragile environments.
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