INEE – The Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies

Education is critical for the millions of children and youth affected by conflict and disasters, and yet it is often significantly disrupted in emergency situations, denying learners the transformative effects of quality education. Twenty-eight million out-of-school children live in conflict-affected fragile states. Every year, natural disasters disrupt access and the quality of education for millions of children around the world. Within these contexts, INEE supports the right to quality education and a safe learning environment, fostering a strong community of practice and carrying out global advocacy, knowledge management, capacity development, information sharing, and policy development.

To address the lack of consistency in the provision of education in crisis settings, INEE facilitated a highly participatory, consultative process of local, national and regional consultations, engaging over 3,300 representatives (including national authorities, practitioners, policy-makers, academics and education stakeholders) in the development and update of the INEE Minimum Standards for Education. The focus of the INEE Minimum Standards is to ensure quality, coordinated humanitarian response that meets the educational rights and needs of people affected by emergencies through processes that assert their dignity.  

The Standards aim to enhance the quality of educational preparedness, response and recovery, increase access to safe and relevant learning opportunities and ensure accountability in providing these services. 

Since its inception in Dakar at the 2000 World Education Forum, INEE has transformed the design and delivery of education in humanitarian contexts. The organization is largely credited for the establishment and significant growth of the Education in Emergencies field itself. By creating the INEE Minimum Standards, the foundational tool for the EiE field, INEE has provided educationalists a common language and framework for the design and delivery of EiE policy and practice. Secondly, INEE has built a strong, diverse and global community of practice. Thirdly, INEE has significantly influenced and redefined the humanitarian aid agenda through its global advocacy work, securing the recognition of education as a crucial component of humanitarian response.

The organization’s indirect beneficiaries include children, youth, and their communities affected by crises. Direct beneficiaries include those that support the right to education, such as educationalists, humanitarian workers, human rights activists, and policy makers. Since its establishment in 2000, INEE has impacted an estimated 16.5 million beneficiaries worldwide. 

In the next three years, INEE aims to grow to 15,000 members in 190 countries and to strengthen its services to the members and opportunities for them to contribute to the network’s activities.