This high-level regional conference on education and the Syrian refugee crisis, is being jointly convened by UNHCR, UNESCO and the ODI. The event closely involves the American Institute for Research, the Interagency Network on Education in Emergencies and CfBT Education Trust.

Participants from regional governments, international organisations, NGOs and CSO, donor agencies and academia will outline the scope of the education crisis among Syrian refugees and identify innovative solutions; in doing so they will consider the experiences of the most heavily affected countries, including Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt in addition to Syria itself. Syrian families have expressed a desire for their children to receive education, though they face a range of obstacles which have kept enrolment rates as low as 10% in Lebanon and northern Iraq.

The conference will cover three main areas related to developing a regional education response to the Syrian refugee crisis: (1) policy and practice challenges, (2) research and technical requirements and (3) advocacy, partnership and resource mobilization. The conference will include high-level attendees and technical experts who are actively engaged in responding to the refugee crisis and its effects on education.