FMR 15 : published October 2002

Norwegian Refugee Council

Inter-Agency Network on Education in Emergencies (INEE)

The NRC, a founding member of the INEE network, currently serves as the chair of the INEE Steering Group. In September 2002, NRC hosted the annual Steering Group meeting in Oslo.

Background to the INEE

In April 2000, at a Strategy Session on Education in Situations of Emergency and Crisis at the World Education Forum in Dakar, a decision was taken to develop a process of inter-agency communication and cooperation in order to improve response to emergency education. An Inter-Agency Consultation held in Geneva in November 2000 launched this process and founded the INEE.

INEE works in support of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Education for All Declaration and the Dakar Framework to promote access and completion of high quality education for all persons affected by emergencies, crises or chronic instability.

INEE objectives are to:

• advocate the inclusion of education as the fourth pillar of emergency response
• share knowledge and experience among practitioners about education in emergencies
• promote greater donor understanding and support of education in emergencies
• make teaching and learning resources widely available
• ensure attention to gender issues in emergency education initiatives
• document and disseminate best practices in the field
• move towards consensual guidelines on education in emergencies

Eighteen months after its creation, a number of INEE achievements can be highlighted:

• There are over 200 organisational members and over 100 individual members.
• A website, which serves as an advocacy tool and as an education in emergencies resource and information bank. was launched in June 2002.
• Over 450 individuals participate in an interactive email list.
• The UNHCR/INEE Peace Education Programme was launched at a workshop in March.
• A Task Team on relevant teaching materials has sent teaching kits to 150 English-speaking and 30 French-speaking recipients in the field.
• INEE has recently added the Working Group on Standards for Education in Emergencies to its group of Task Teams

INEE's priorities for the next two years include supporting the development of standards and training for education in emergencies and lobbying donors and international decision makers in order both to promote a greater understanding of and to obtain more funding for education in emergencies and in post-crisis reconstruction.

Currently, UNESCO's Education Division in Paris hosts the INEE Secretariat.

For further information, visit the INEE website at www.ineesite.org or contact the INEE Network Coordinator, Beverly Roberts. Email: b.roberts@unesco.org or broberts@care.org.