Policy brief | Applying the HDP Nexus in Education: promoting sustained and equitable access in fragile crisis contexts

In fragile contexts or contexts of protracted crisis and violence, such as Burkina Faso and Mozambique, applying the Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) Nexus in education is not only relevant – it is essential.
By integrating humanitarian response, development planning, and peacebuilding efforts into education programs, HDP Nexus approaches can help to bring about structural transformations that address the key drivers of vulnerability and conflict, help to empower communities by reducing their exclusion and marginalization, and equip future generations to build more just, peaceful, and resilient societies.
Aligning with the standards and guidelines developed by the Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE), the Grand Bargain and the Core Humanitarian Standards, educational initiatives in fragile and crisis-affected contexts
can ensure that access to education and learning remains a priority during emergencies and beyond, and that education continues to serve as a cross-cutting pillar offering a strategic entry-point to promote lasting social cohesion, social justice and accountability for vulnerable populations.
Drawing on the experiences of Educo and WeWorld in Burkina Faso and Mozambique and based upon a joint study1 conducted by the Institute of Studies on Conflict and Humanitarian Action (IECAH) under the joint initiative of the ChildFund Alliance, this policy brief explores how the Nexus is being applied in education programming in fragile and crisis contexts. It identifies persistent barriers, promising practices, and key recommendations that can inform context-sensitive, integrated education responses in other crisis-affected settings.