Welcome to the symposium on “Protecting Futures: Addressing Lack of Access to Education for Children Without Legal Identity”. This is a call to address the critical and prevailing issues surrounding millions of children globally who are hindered from accessing their fundamental right to education due to the absence of legal identity, often connected with challenges such as unavailability of birth certificates, statelessness, and lost identity documents.
In a world that is constantly evolving and advancing, it is paramount to ensure that every child is afforded the opportunity to education and learning, irrespective of their legal status. The absence of formally recognised and documented identity has severe implications, prohibiting children from enjoying basic rights such as education, health, development, and social services. It is imperative to address and rectify these profound disparities and work collaboratively towards universal education and legal identity for all.
Dr Pascal Rudin, IFSW Representative to the United Nations, who was involved in the planning of this event, remarked “The access to education for children lacking a legal identity is a global concern that demands immediate and sustained interventions. It is our collective responsibility to be the voice for these children and to advocate for systemic changes that will ensure their inclusion in education systems worldwide.”
Priska Fleischlin, IFSW Global United Nations Commissioner, added “We extend a warm invitation to social workers across the globe to join us in this pivotal symposium, which is designed to elucidate the challenges confronted by identity-less children and to articulate transformative solutions that reinforce the universal right to education.”
It is our hope that this symposium will catalyse necessary changes and inspire enduring commitments from States and other relevant actors to align with their commitments to the achievement of SDG 4 and SDG target 16.9, thereby ensuring universal education and legal identity for all, and fostering a world where every child has the opportunity to learn, grow, and fulfil their potential.
Save the date: 29 November 2023, 1 PM – 4 PM CET / 8 AM – 11 AM EST.
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