At a time when 87 percent of the world’s student population is affected by COVID-19 school closures, UNESCO is launching a global education coalition to support countries in scaling up their best distance learning practices and reaching children and youth who are most at risk. More than 1.5 billion learners in 192 countries are affected by COVID-19 school closures. Read its media release here.

KPMG is one of the private sector founding partners, along with Microsoft, GSMA, Weidong, Google, Facebook, Zoom and Coursera, who collectively will be donating resources and expertise around technology, notably connectivity, and capacity strengthening. It is a great example of KPMG living its purpose, building on its longstanding citizenship commitment to SDG 4 ‘Education and Lifelong Learning’ and its expertise as a learning provider for clients and our people.

Multilateral partners include the International Labor Organization, the UN High Commission for Refugees, The United Nations Children’s Fund, the World Health Organization, the World Food Programme, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and many more, all of which have stressed the need for swift and coordinated support to countries in order to mitigate the adverse impacts of school closures, in particular for the most disadvantaged.