The British Council is pleased to invite UK university representatives to a high-level side-event on Boosting Opportunities for Higher Education in Emergencies taking place during the 71st session of the UN General Assembly on 19 September 2016, 13:00-15:45 at the UN Secretariat Conference Building, Conference Room 12, New York, NY 10017.

Higher education is increasingly caught in the crossfire of violent conflict, with devastating consequences for the sector and for conflict-affected societies. Institutions of higher education have sustained physical damage as well as significant losses among students and faculty—through death or displacement—while communities of learning have faced isolation and fear. This loss of functioning higher education systems is detrimental for conflict-affected societies, as progress towards peace and prosperity is greatly hindered by the loss of generations of leadership. Yet too often in contexts of humanitarian crisis or conflict higher education is a neglected sector.

The High-Level Meeting of the General Assembly on Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants on 19 September represents a true turning point as participants have recognised the power of higher education to build resilience in emergencies and foster recovery and rebuilding from disasters and conflict; and provide complementary pathways to resettlement. Against this backdrop, it is high time to turn the tide and do more, better and faster to boost higher education opportunities in emergencies. There is a pressing need for more attention to be paid to the experience of higher education in the context of conflict and emergencies; for international donors and development institutions to work out innovative funding solutions for the sector; for governments to better leverage higher education in their refugee protection strategies; and for groundbreaking approaches to bolster Higher Education in Emergencies.

The aim of this action-oriented session is to bring together a wide range of Member States, multilateral agencies, civil society organisations, and private sector actors from across the world to galvanise support and generate new momentum for boosting opportunities for higher education in emergencies, on the basis of the draft conclusions of the High-Level Summit of the UN General Assembly on Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants adopted on 19 September. We welcome UK university representatives who will be in the New York City area on 19 September to join us for this discussion.