As humanitarian needs are at an all-time high and funding has been drastically reduced, acting ahead of crises to protect the education of children and youth has never been higher. A growing body of evidence shows that robust preparedness, anticipatory action (AA) and rapid response saves lives, reduces costs and maximize scarce resources. However, aid still remains largely reactive, and anticipatory frameworks for education in particular remain underfunded.

This session will examine how Education in Emergencies actors are pivoting from reactive to proactive approaches to ensure education of children and youth worldwide: it will provide an overview of the latest trends in preparedness, AA and rapid education response, share promising practices from pilots in countries such as Burkina Faso, Ethiopia,Pakistan, Somalia and Syria and identify opportunities to advance coordinated approaches in a funding constraint environment. The session will build on two previous very successful HNPW sessions on AA for education, as well as the Geneva Global Hub for Education in Emergencies’ 2025 flagship report on preparedness and AA for education, which wasreleased in June 2025, and sets out how the right investments ahead of crises can save both lives and resources, while protecting the education and futures of millions of children and youth.

The session will bring together key humanitarian partners from both education and anticipatory action, as well as other government and other stakeholders. Its format will be interactive and participants will be able to share their own experience and learning.