On Thursday 21 January 2021, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) will publish a special report on the EU humanitarian aid for education.
ABOUT THE TOPIC
Over recent years, the European Commission has increased its aid for education in emergencies and protracted crises, reaching 10 % of the EU humanitarian aid budget in 2019. This aid is provided through the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO). It supports many types of education activities, including building or rehabilitating classrooms, staff accommodation and latrines; supplying learning materials and furniture; training teachers; providing accelerated education to help children return to school; raising parents’ awareness of the importance of education; providing cash for families so that children can attend school; and providing psychosocial support for children.
The four largest recipients of EU emergency aid for education in 2017-2019 were Turkey (€84 million), Jordan (€18 million), Syria and Uganda (both €16 million).
ABOUT THE AUDIT
The main purpose of the audit was to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of EU humanitarian aid for education. The audit covered projects in Jordan and Uganda, which enabled to examine ECHO’s response to protracted crises in two different contexts. The report’s findings and recommendations aim to contribute to improving the European Commission’s management in an area where funding has steadily increased in recent years.
FOR PRESS
The report and press release will be published on the ECA website eca.europa.eu in 23 EU languages on Thursday 21 January at 17:00 CET.
Embargoed copies can be requested at: press@eca.europa.eu
For interviews or statements, interested journalists can also contact ECA press office.
The ECA member responsible for this report is Hannu Takkula.
