At the 61st session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva, the 91������̳ (GCPEA) worked with partners and Member States to press for urgent and concrete action to safeguard children’s right to education in armed conflict. At a time of growing pushback against international law and norms, it is imperative to defend and advance strong standards in UN forums.

On 9 March, the Council marked its , which focused this year on children in armed conflict. GCPEA welcomed the strong, coordinated calls to action from panellists. The Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights warned of a sharp rise in attacks on schools, while the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict (SRSG CAAC) and the ICRC urged states to endorse the Safe Schools Declaration (SSD) and take concrete measures to protect education during conflict.

GCPEA also welcomed the delivered by the Ambassador of Norway on behalf of 64 Member States calling for endorsement and implementation of the SSD. Together with Save the Children and Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict, GCPEA a clear and consistent message from children themselves: they demand the right to learn in safety. The Coalition called on states to meet their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law to protect education in armed conflict.

On 10 March, GCPEA engaged in the interactive dialogue with the SRSG CAAC as she presented her latest . The findings are stark. In 2024, the UN verified 2,374 attacks on schools and hospitals—a 44 per cent increase from 2023—with the highest numbers recorded in Afghanistan, Haiti, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Myanmar, and Ukraine. Overall, 41,370 grave violations against 22,495 children were verified, one-third of them girls. While non-State armed groups were responsible for nearly half of all violations, government forces were the leading perpetrators of attacks on schools and hospitals—one of the UN’s six grave violations against children. These trends demand sustained and decisive state action to protect education as a non-derogable right, intrinsic to the realization of all other child rights.

GCPEA the aerial attack on Shajareh Tayyebeh Girls’ School in Minab, Iran, which reportedly killed an estimated 168 people, the majority young girls. We supported the HRC’s decision to convene an on 27 March on the protection of children and educational institutions in armed conflict in response to this attack. GCPEA shared key messages with state partners to inform national statements, emphasizing that schools are civilian objects and that such attacks may constitute grave breaches of international humanitarian law and violations of international human rights law, potentially amounting to war crimes. The Coalition stressed that all parties to conflict must strictly adhere to the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution, which in this case all appear to have been violated. Finally, we called for prompt, independent, and impartial investigations, accountability for those responsible, and full reparations for victims. 

GCPEA further welcomed the Council’s , adopted by consensus on 31 March, which focuses on children affected by armed conflict. Following sustained advocacy by GCPEA, the resolution includes strengthened language strongly condemning attacks on education and the military use of schools. We commend the penholders for their leadership and call on all states to consider endorsing the SSD and its Guidelines. And we echo the resolution’s call for states to “safeguard, protect, respect, fulfil and promote the right to education, including in situations of armed conflict”—recognizing its role in advancing peace, security, and protection for children—is both timely and essential. Its emphasis on accountability for violations against children is equally critical. 

Finally, GCPEA also contributed to a side hosted by Lumos and partners on safe and inclusive education in conflict. GCPEA Senior Advocacy and Policy Adviser Ilaria Paolazzi underscored the heightened risks faced by children with disabilities and reaffirmed that protecting education—and ensuring its continuity, including inclusive education—is a binding obligation under international law.

Amid increasingly protracted and complex conflicts, states must act without exception or double standards. This means preventing attacks, ensuring accountability, and guaranteeing safe, inclusive education for all children—even in times of war.