Education Cannot Wait Interviews Matthias Schmale, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine

By External Source
Nov 4 2024 (IPS-Partners)

 
Matthias Schmale is the Assistant Secretary-General, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine. Schmale brings more than 30 years of experience in humanitarian and development work. He previously served as Senior Adviser to the UN Development Coordination Office’s regional team for Africa, as Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator (a.i) in Nigeria, and in several high-level positions with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNWRA), including Director for UNRWA Affairs in Lebanon, Gaza and New York, acting Chief of Staff and acting Deputy Commissioner General.

Before joining the United Nations, he held senior positions in the International Red Cross and Red Crescent movement, and non-government organizations at global, regional and country level, including in Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. He holds a PhD in development economics and a master’s degree in macroeconomics from Berlin’s Free University.

ECW: As the war in Ukraine stretches into its third year, the education of 4 million children has been disrupted, with 600,000 children unable to access in-person learning due to ongoing fighting and displacement. How can world leaders support access to quality education for children in Ukraine impacted by this war, as well as for Ukraine refugee children in neighboring states?

Matthias Schmale: The obvious answer to this question is that world leaders must work to the best of their abilities and in full respect of the UN Charter and the territorial integrity of Ukraine to help end the devastating full-scale invasion by the armed forces of the Russian Federation. Quality education requires a peaceful and stable environment and for refugee children to have the choice to return home with their parents. World leaders and we all should also not forget the many children struggling to have access to quality education under conditions of illegal occupation and annexation including in Crimea.

Since we unfortunately cannot predict when the war on Ukraine will end, world leaders are asked to ensure that the humanitarian and recovery aid provided by their respective governments is maintained to meet the enormous needs of children in Ukraine and that this support explicitly includes dedicated resources for what is often referred to as education in emergencies. International solidarity has to include funding work to create safe spaces in educational facilities and supporting the government and authorities at all levels in maintaining and strengthening education systems and capacities under very challenging conditions.

ECW: You are an economist by training. How can investments in education through multilateral funds such as Education Cannot Wait help us deliver on the promises made in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and why are such investments crucial for crisis-affected children in Ukraine?

Matthias Schmale: As an economist I would say that not all return on investments can be measured in the form of financial profit. Society at large profits when investments into education maintain the hopes of the young for a more dignified and profitable future!

Every child has a basic right to education and learning, and Education Cannot Wait investments help to realize this right for crisis affected children in Ukraine and elsewhere. Due to Covid followed by the impact of the full-scale invasion, hundreds of thousands of school children in Ukraine have not seen the inside of a classroom for at least five years. So, investments into online learning continue to be crucial. At the same time, we know that online learning can never replace meeting and interacting with other children in safe spaces, and Education Cannot Wait can help create such safe spaces.

I have seen some very impressive examples here in Ukraine, for example in Kharkiv, where portions of a number of metro stations have been converted into safe and fantastic underground classrooms. And when I recently met the Governor of Kherson – that is continuously attacked – he mentioned as one of his priorities creating safe spaces where children can meet, learn and receive mental health support. With public finances in Ukraine severely strained, international solidarity shown through multilateral funds like Education Cannot Wait make all the difference for children struggling to cope with the ongoing war.

ECW: The Global Business Coalition for Education pledged US$50 million from the private sector in support of ECW’s 4-year strategic plan, with 70,000 laptops already shared with schools in Ukraine and neighboring countries. How can, and why should, the private sector continue to provide even more support for education for crisis-impacted children in Ukraine and beyond?

Matthias Schmale: The private sector will be a key driver in building back better and recovery efforts that are already ongoing. This will require a dedicated and healthy workforce, which is why educating children and young people is so critical.

Successful business leaders I have met in the countries and places I have served often told me they are not only successful due to the formal education they received, but that vocational training and acquiring relevant skills often made the real difference. Business leaders must help ensure that curricula are adapted to ensure relevance in public and private schools, and sufficient business-oriented learning and vocational training opportunities are created and made available.

ECW: Two in three Ukraine children in the frontline areas are out of school. They are experiencing challenges in terms of safety, protection, mental health and well-being. How is the United Nations coordinating an integrated cross-sectoral response through its agencies, funds, and programmes to reach these children and ensure they receive holistic support?

Matthias Schmale: It is important to underline that in my understanding the UN’s primary role is to support governments in looking after the welfare and safety of its citizens and ensuring that all have access to the best education and learning possible. The UN team in Ukraine is preparing for lift off of the 5-year Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework agreed with government for the period 2025 to 2029, and we are identifying how we can ensure that the contributions of various agencies are well coordinated and make the maximum impact in the lives of vulnerable children.

At the risk of not mentioning a UN entity and its valuable contribution, this for example includes building on the professional expertise and knowledge of good practice that UNICEF brings around protection of children’s rights and quality learning in safe environments, UNESCO on modernizing curricula and teacher’s training, UNDP on supporting government on mobilizing adequate public financing, UNFPA on protecting children from sexual abuse and violence, UNHCR and IOM in helping ensure no child including internally displaced gets left behind, WHO’s primary and mental health capacities to ensure children are healthy to capitalize on learning opportunities as well as UNOPS in helping repair and eventually rebuild schools. To underline these are just illustrative examples, and as Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator it is my duty to ensure that all 22 UN entities with a presence in country as well as those without are respected for the specific contribution they can make and included in our joint effort to help Ukraine in reaching all vulnerable children.

ECW: We all know that ‘readers are leaders’ and that reading skills are key to every child’s education. What are three books that have most influenced you personally and/or professionally, and why would you recommend them to others?

Matthias Schmale: There are a lot of good writers who wrote excellent books that have influenced me, and it is hard to pick just three among them. J.M. Coutzee, William Darymple and Chimamanda Ngozie Achie continue to intrigue me for the combination of illuminating sensitive topics and encounters between different cultures through their fiction while being highly entertaining at the same time. Darymple’s 1993 City of Djinns is a fascinating travelogue of Dehli, which I devoured in preparation for staying and working there a couple of weeks myself in another life. Coutzee’s 1999 novel “Disgrace” is a rather bleak pre ‘Me-Too’ read about the desires and deficiencies of men. And Chimamanda Ngozie Achie’s acclaimed 2013 “Americanah” explores aspects of race, identity, love, and honesty through a young Nigerian woman’s journey to the United States in pursuit of higher education.

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