Dubai: Dubai Cares participated in the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, an event described as the first global call to action by UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon to address the unprecedented levels of human suffering.

There are more than 125 million women, men and children in need of humanitarian assistance in the world today, said Dubai Cares, which is part of Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives.

The summit, which took place from May 23 to 24, featured a special event to launch Education Cannot Wait, a fund for education in emergencies.

The global Education in Emergencies is a platform that Dubai Cares contributed to technically as well as financially by committing Dh9.18 million over the next two years to the start-up phase of the fund’s Secretariat.

Dubai Cares’ involvement in this platform follows the organisation’s commitment “to champion education in emergencies” detailed during an event it co-hosted in September 2015 on the sidelines of the week of the 70th United Nations General Assembly in New York.

During the summit, Dubai Cares revealed its commitment to increasing the share of its programmes that reach refugees and internally displaced children and youth, as well as children and youth of host communities, to 33 per cent of its financial portfolio over the next two years.

Dubai Cares also announced its commitment to further expand the evidence base in relation to what works in education in emergencies and protracted crises by spending 10 per cent of all its funding for education in emergencies on research and evaluations, and sharing the findings with its partners in the sector as they arise.

Dubai Cares CEO Tareq Al Gurg, speaking about the funding platform from Istanbul, said: “We see education as a priority when supporting countries that have been hit by a natural disaster, epidemic or conflict. However, funds are needed before any action can be taken. Education Cannot Wait can help the education humanitarian community cover a significant funding shortfall and give children globally the help they desperately need.”