Minister Sajjan wraps up Canada’s Together for Learning Summit on education for displaced children and youth

March 31, 2022 – Ottawa, Ontario – Global Affairs Canada

Through meaningful engagement and by working together, youth leaders, government officials, members of civil society organizations and global education stakeholders can drive progress in global, national and local responses to refugee education.

The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, hosted Canada’s Together for Learning Summit: Engaging Displaced Youth to Transform Education, from March 30 to 31, 2022. This virtual summit, which was open to the public, provided the approximately 600 registered participants with a unique opportunity to learn from the experiences of displaced youth and to collaborate on solutions with key stakeholders in the education sector.

Young people from around the world led discussions with over 60 representatives from ministries of education, ministries of development and non-governmental organizations and civil society organizations on how to advance safe, equitable, inclusive and quality education, gender equality, and technology and innovation for displaced children and youth.

The youth released a manifesto that included a call to action for governments, civil society, multilateral organizations and the private sector. In addition, a summit outcome document was developed through consultations with participating governments to respond to the manifesto. The document outlines concrete actions to advance education for the most marginalized children and youth and shared commitments to ensure the meaningful participation of youth in global efforts to address the impacts of conflict and crises on children and youth.

Canada is committed to taking the actions from the summit forward to the United Nations’ secretary-general’s Transforming Education Summit in September 2022 and to the Global Refugee Forum in December 2023. The outcomes of the Together for Learning Summit will also inform Canada’s priorities in the education sector for international development and next steps for the Together for Learning campaign.