Charlevoix Education Initiative

Education for girls and women in contexts of fragility, crisis, and conflict

Education equips girls and women to transform their lives, their households, their societies and their economies. Yet in many of the world's poorest countries, girls are far less likely than boys to enroll in school and complete their education. Social, cultural and gender-based norms and practices, such as domestic responsibilities; child, early and forced marriage; and early pregnancy, are often the cause. These barriers are amplified in times of fragility, crisis and conflict. Girls are nearly 2.5 times more likely than boys to be out of school in conflict-affected areas.

Canada is taking action to address these barriers and is working to change the lives of the world's most marginalized girls and women. Investing in education for girls and women increases economic growth and women’s political participation; it improves social and health outcomes—for example, reducing maternal and child mortality rates; and it reduces poverty. Education empowers, and empowered girls and women have the tools they need to make their own choices, which leads to more security and brighter futures for themselves and for society as a whole.

Canada’s commitment to quality education and gender equality

Under Canada’s presidency at the 2018 G7 Summit in Charlevoix, G7 leaders committed to putting girls and women at the heart of the agenda by supporting quality education and skills training for girls, adolescent girls and women in fragile, crisis and conflict-affected situations. This included refugees, displaced peoples, returnees and people with disabilities. The Charlevoix Education Initiative is Canada’s contribution to attaining the objectives of the Charlevoix declaration on quality education for girls, adolescent girls and women in developing countries.

The initiative aims to remove barriers to quality education and training for girls, adolescent girls and women so they can benefit from an education equal to that received by boys and men. Projects created through this initiative are transforming the communities where they are being delivered. They focus on:

• reducing barriers that limit girls’ and women’s access to education
• improving access to and the quality of formal and non-formal education, skills training and development for girls and women
• improving and building the resiliency of education systems and approaches so they better support girls and women
• gathering data and evidence to better understand the issues and key challenges in girls’ and women’s education participation, completion and learning
• advocating for continued and increased investments in education for girls and women in situations of fragility 

The initiative aligns with:

• Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy
• Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular:
  • SDG 4 on quality education
  • SDG 5 on gender equality

Where we make a difference

Canada has partnered with government, civil society and multilateral organizations to deliver projects in developing countries where there is fragility, crisis and conflict. The Charlevoix Education Initiative is being delivered in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.

News

• Creating a better future (August 2019)
• Prime Minister concludes productive G7 Leaders’ Summit in France (August 2019)
• Minister Monsef concludes successful G7 development ministerial meetings in Paris and announces support to improve access to education for women and girls (July 2019)
• Backgrounder - Canada announces support to improve access to quality education for women and girls in fragile, conflict and crisis situations (July 2019)
• Backgrounder - About Education Cannot Wait (December 2018)
• Government of Canada announces US$38 million pledge for Education Cannot Wait (December 2018)
• Canada announces additional support for Global Financing Facility (November 2018)
• Canada provides support to Palestinian refugees (October 2018)
• Prime Minister concludes successful week at the United Nations General Assembly (September 2018)
• Canada and partners announce historic investment in education for women and girls in crisis and conflict situations (June 2018)

Related links

• ‘Together for Learning’ - Education for refugee, other forcibly-displaced and host community children and youth
• Charlevoix declaration on quality education for girls, adolescent girls, and women in developing countries (June 2018)
• Whistler declaration on unlocking the power of adolescent girls for sustainable development (May 2018)
• Canada and the G7
• Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy
• Canada takes action on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
• 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
• Project browser