India highlights Sudan's education crisis at UN, calls for strict accountability over school attacks

New York [US], August 8 (ANI): India has called for urgent global action and strict accountability against parties targeting educational infrastructure in Sudan, warning that the three-year conflict has left more than 17 million children out of school.
Speaking at an Arria-Formula meeting on "Safeguarding Education in Sudan: Investing in Peace, Recovery and Stability," Indian UN Counsellor Eldos Mathew Punnoose reaffirmed New Delhi's commitment to protecting children's right to education in conflict zones. The meeting was convened by the Permanent Missions of Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Liberia.
Highlighting the gravity of the crisis, Punnoose cited UN data showing a 57 per cent increase in attacks on schools across Sudan, emphasising that "protection without accountability is ineffective" and those who target schools with impunity must be held accountable.
"The conflict that has ravaged Sudan over the past three years has devastated the lives of millions of people, with children bearing its biggest brunt. We join the voices in this room in condemning attacks on civilians, particularly children, and on educational infrastructure," he said.
He emphasised that restoring education requires a holistic approach addressing displacement, hunger, and health, while acknowledging the efforts of UNICEF and humanitarian partners in rehabilitating conflict-affected children.
"Education is both a fundamental right and an investment in Sudan's future. Lasting peace and stability are indispensable for ensuring safe access to education and rebuilding the institutions of learning and education. At the same time, restoring education requires a holistic approach. Children cannot learn in the face of hunger, displacement, and poor health. Ensuring the rehabilitation and reintegration of conflict-affected children is equally important. We acknowledge the important work of UNICEF and other humanitarian partners in this context," he highlighted.
Punnoose highlighted India's ongoing humanitarian assistance to Sudan, including a prosthetic limb camp organised earlier this year that benefited 600 individuals, among them several children.
"All through the conflict, India has stood with the people of Sudan. Earlier this year, we organized a prosthetic limb camp for 600 beneficiaries in Sudan, which included a number of children. It was very satisfying to see these children run and jump. We hope the walk back to their schools would also happen soon," he noted.
To mitigate physical damage to infrastructure, he suggested leveraging technology and the Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) model, drawing on India's experience with the DIKSHA (Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing) platform, to expand remote access to quality learning resources and strengthen the long-term recovery of Sudanese institutions.
"Such solutions, complemented by sustained investment in education, can help strengthen the resilience of Sudanese institutions and support its long-term recovery. Finally, protection without accountability is ineffective. Parties that target schools with impunity must be held accountable," the Counsellor affirmed.
Notably, in May, India and Sudan held the ninth round of Foreign Office Consultations (FOC), during which both sides reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral relations and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation across multiple sectors, including counter-terrorism efforts.
According to a statement by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the talks were held in Port Sudan on Monday and were co-chaired by Joint Secretary (WANA) M Suresh Kumar and Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sudan Maowia Osman Khalid Mohammed.
The discussions covered a broad range of bilateral areas, including political engagement, trade, investment, capacity building, healthcare, education, energy, mining, agriculture, small and medium enterprises, digital public infrastructure, and people-to-people exchanges.
Both sides also exchanged views on regional and international developments of mutual interest, reaffirming their shared commitment to deepening South-South cooperation. (ANI)