[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 240 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 240
Affirming the role of the United States in improving access to quality,
inclusive public education and improved learning outcomes for children
and adolescents, particularly for girls, in the poorest countries
through the Global Partnership for Education.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 26, 2021
Mr. Booker (for himself and Mr. Rubio) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Affirming the role of the United States in improving access to quality,
inclusive public education and improved learning outcomes for children
and adolescents, particularly for girls, in the poorest countries
through the Global Partnership for Education.
Whereas access to quality education reduces poverty, advances economic
prosperity, improves peace and security, and strengthens public health;
Whereas the United Nations reported that 1,600,000,000 learners in more than 190
countries were affected by the closure of educational institutions at
the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic;
Whereas prior to the COVID crisis, the 2020 Global Education Monitoring Report,
an annual accountability tool on the status of education
internationally, found that an estimated 258,000,000 children and
adolescents are out of school worldwide, with girls and children with
disabilities more likely to be out of school in most of the developing
world;
Whereas a 2019 UNICEF Report found that only one in every five children in low-
income countries has access to preprimary education;
Whereas a 2019 World Bank Report found that more than half of all children in
low- and middle-income countries cannot read a simple story by age 10;
Whereas a 2020 UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report found that children and
adolescents with a sensory, physical, or intellectual disability are two
and a half times more likely to have never been in school than their
peers without disabilities;
Whereas a 2018 UNICEF Report found that one in three children and adolescents
are out of school in countries affected by conflict or disaster;
Whereas a 2020 UNHCR Report found that almost half of school-age refugee
children are out of school and, of the refugee children who do start
primary school, less than half make it to secondary school;
Whereas a 2018 World Bank Report found that 12 years of quality education for
every girl would boost economies by as much as $30 trillion in increased
lifetime earnings and that each year of secondary education for girls
reduces the likelihood of marriage before the age of 18 by five
percentage points or more;
Whereas the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) was founded in 2002 as the
only public-private global partnership exclusively dedicated to
education in the world's poorest countries;
Whereas GPE-eligible countries are home to more than 1,000,000,000 children and
adolescents, which represent 82 percent of out-of-school children;
Whereas GPE focuses on improving education at a systems level, aligning partners
behind each government's education sector plan, to leverage the profound
transformations required to deliver at least one year of preschool and
12 years of quality education for every child;
Whereas GPE works in the countries with the greatest need, targets the hardest
to reach children, and can respond quickly to emergencies;
Whereas educational continuity helps partners keep their education systems
functioning through wars, displacement crises, climate disasters and
health emergencies, including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic;
Whereas GPE is a proven and effective aid delivery mechanism that complements
the United States Government's bilateral basic education programs by
fostering coordination among all key partners, supporting the
development and implementation of strong national education sector
plans, and building on the commitment of developing country governments
to expand quality educational opportunities for children in an equitable
manner;
Whereas the United States is among the leading supporters of GPE, is represented
on the GPE Board of Directors, and currently serves the critical role of
Coordinating Agent in eight GPE partner countries;
Whereas United States Government Strategy on Basic Education, Fiscal Years 2019
through 2023, resolves to leverage GPE to advance its goal of achieving
a world where education systems in partner countries enable all
individuals to acquire the education and skills needed to be productive
members of society;
Whereas GPE is working with Education Cannot Wait, at global and country level,
to develop optimized approaches to advance UN Sustainable Development
Goal 4 and provide inclusive and equitable quality education for all,
especially the most marginalized children in crisis situations;
Whereas primary enrollment for girls has increased by 65 percent and almost
three-quarters of partner countries have achieved gender parity in
school completion;
Whereas in 40 percent of partner countries, GPE's partnership supports one or
more activities relating to children with disabilities;
Whereas GPE is the largest provider of education grants in the global COVID-19
response, mobilizing over $500,000,000 to ensure continued learning,
school reopenings, and recovery;
Whereas GPE support incentivized governments to save more than $6,000,000,000
through more efficient education spending, freeing up more funds to
invest in education for the most marginalized;
Whereas more than 60 percent of GPE's spending is in countries affected by
conflict or fragility, and GPE helped these countries to increase their
primary school completion rates from 58 percent in 2002 to 68 percent in
2018;
Whereas GPE's 5-year strategic plan calls for leveraging and further developing
innovative finance mechanisms to get every child learning, and extends a
strong commitment to gender equality and inclusion across all workings
of the partnership, including a new funding window that will raise an
additional $250,000,000 for girls' education; and
Whereas with support from donors, GPE will enable 175,000,000 primary-age
children to learn, reach 140,000,000 students with professionally
trained teachers, get 88,000,000 more children in school, more than half
of them girls, and save $16,000,000,000 through more efficient spending:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) affirms the leadership and commitment of the United
States Government to improving access to quality, inclusive
public education and improved learning outcomes for the poorest
and most marginalized children and adolescents worldwide, which
promotes global stability, economic prosperity, and poverty
elimination;
(2) supports the vision, mission, and goals of GPE 2025 to
appropriately mobilize partnerships and investments that
transform education systems in developing countries, leaving no
one behind;
(3) recognizes that United States Government investments in
bilateral basic education are complemented by GPE's education
systems-level approach and partnership building;
(4) calls on the United States to engage in multiyear
pledges to allow GPE to maximize its impact in supporting
governments to provide quality, inclusive public education to
children around the world and to leverage contributions from
other countries and donors; and
(5) calls on the Secretary of State and the Administrator
of the United States Agency for International Development to
commit to promoting children and adolescents attending school
and learning throughout the world in accordance with the 2021
to 2025 GPE strategic period.
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