International Day to Protect Education from Attack 2026

On this International Day to Protect Education from Attack, the Alliance and the Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) join partners around the world in calling for the protection of children, educators, and learning environments affected by conflict and crises.

In 2025, the United Nations verified 1,680 attacks on schools, a 33% increase compared to 2024. These attacks do not only disrupt learning — they can also expose children to increased risks of violence, exploitation, psychosocial distress, family separation and other forms of harm.

This year’s theme, “Can education survive attack? The resilience of human communities,” highlights both the growing threats facing education and the strength of communities working to keep children safe and learning during crises.

Protecting education is inseparable from protecting children. Stronger collaboration between Child Protection in Humanitarian Action and Education in Emergencies actors is essential to creating safer, more protective learning environments and responding to the interconnected risks children face.

Together with the Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE), the Alliance is working to strengthen collaboration between the two sectors and support practitioners with practical tools, guidance and examples of integrated approaches.

🔗 Explore our interactive CPHA–EiE resource page, available in English, French, Spanish, Arabic, and Portuguese: https://alliancecpha.org/en/child-protection-humanitarian-action-and-education-emergencies

🔗 Explore our resource collection on Protecting Education from Attack, available in English, French, Spanish, Arabic, and Portuguese: https://inee.org/collections/protecting-education-attack

Education should always be a safe haven — never a target.