Crises are cutting off education for 234 million children in 2025 – international experts discuss solutions in Helsinki 

Finn Church Aid (FCA) and the University of Helsinki are organising a two-day international conference on education in emergencies in Helsinki on May 20–21. 

THE CONFERENCE Education in Emergencies: A Lifeline for the Future will bring together nearly 400 people from around the world, including international experts, researchers, teachers, and decision-makers, to address the growing impact of armed conflict, forced displacement, and climate disasters on education.  

More than 234 million school-aged children and young people live in crisis situations without access to quality education, say a major report by Education Cannot Wait. In addition, last year, disruptions caused by climate change interrupted the schooling of more than 240 million children, according to UNICEF. Leading experts will discuss strengthening the role of education in Helsinki. Finn Church Aid is organising the event in collaboration with the Faculty of Educational Sciences at the University of Helsinki. 

“Education is much more than a basic service – it provides protection, hope, and a foundation for the future. Schools often also provide children with food, water, and information about hygiene. Schools are therefore places that provide concrete, life-saving assistance,” says Tomi Järvinen, Executive Director of Finn Church Aid. 

Education provides both physical and psychological protection in emergency situations. Safe learning environments protect children from threats such as abuse and violence, especially girls and children with disabilities. At the same time, schools provide routines for daily life, reliable adults, and a sense of normalcy even in the midst of war. 

Children and parents consistently rank education as one of their top priorities – even above food and water, according to research from Save The Children. This starkly highlights its critical role in recovery from crises. Education enhances the ability of children and young people to adapt to dramatic changes in their living environment.  

Despite this, education is often underfunded or neglected in emergency situations. Finland is still regarded as a global leader in education and has funded amongst others Education Cannot Wait and the Global Partnership for Education, both of which are represented at the conference. Recently Finland, other EU countries, and the United States have announced heavy cuts to the international aid that partially went towards supporting education in developing countries. 

Speakers at the conference include: 

Margarita Focas Licht, Director of Partnership, Global Partnership for Education 
Dianah Nelsen, Chief of Education, Education Cannot Wait 
Dr. Nafieh Assaf Deputy Minister of Education, Palestine 
Faiza Hassan, Director, Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) 

The full conference program and speaker profiles are available on the conference website. The main sessions of the conference will be streamed live here on Tuesday and Wednesday. 

In addition to the conference speakers, the event will be attended by representatives of various countries and the country directors of Finn Church Aid’s 12 operating countries. 

Interview requests for speakers or FCA country directors: 

Erik Nyström, Head of Communications, FCA , erik.nystrom@kua.fi, tel. +358 40 143 4464