While Norway may be a long way north on a map, it found itself as the centre of attention today, thanks to the Oslo Summit that is taking place in the nation's capital. This summit is all about education, and the vital role that it plays in raising communities and nations out of poverty.
A few minutes ago, Kweku Mandela, filmmaker, activist, and Global Citizen Ambassador, took the stage in Oslo to give an impassioned speech on the importance of access to primary and secondary education as a means to ending extreme poverty. Mandela specifically drew attention to the fact that there is no clear roadmap for reaching the $39 billion needed annually to provide 12 years of quality education for all children, citing the recent decline in aid for education. This compares dramatically, Mandela said, with the fact that last year $26 billion was pledged from developing countries.
"Education is grossly underfunded. And there still remains a gulf between what is needed and what has been committed annually," said Mandela. "There are 31 million girls out of primary school, and 62 million adolescent who go without access to secondary school. This unfortunate reality clearly shows there is a moral imperative to scale up investments in education."
Mandela, alongside Malala, the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, spoke at the Oslo Summit, a two day conference organized by the Norwegian Government, during which he welcomed the announcement by Prime Minister Solberg of a new financing commission for education chaired by Gordon Brown, former British Prime Minister.
"This is a important but first step in the right direction which I hope will lead to donor countries dramatically scaling up their funding for the Global Partnership for Education," Mandela stated.
"Aid that flows into education from wealthy countries remains woefully inadequate at a time when developing countries are stepping up. We need $39 billion annually to fill the financing gap to ensure every girl can receive 12 years of quality education. We need to make this a universal commitment."
During his remarks, Mandela also announced the 01 Second March for Girls & Women, a digital march run by Global Citizen, where thousands of people have committed to March and call on donor governments to scale up the Global Partnership for Education so that its capable of disbursing at least $15 billion a year.
In closing, Mandela and Global Citizen extended the invitation to all heads of government, including Norway's Erna Solberg, to lead the way by attending and announcing new funding for education at the 2015 Global Citizen Festival in New York City's Central Park. Held on September 26, 2015, the same weekend as the UN agrees to the new Sustainable Development Goals, the Festival will champion education for all.
“I would lastly like to invite her excellency Prime Minister Erna Solberg, to attend and announce new funding for education at the 2015 Global Citizen Festival in New York City's Central Park in September,” Mandela said.