The Education Above All Foundation (EAA), in a brief ceremony held at the UN in New York, has previewed the book Challenges & Reality, a new collection of images from photojournalist Maher Attar.
Educate A Child, a global programme of EAA, commissioned the book, which features photography of out-of-school children from around the world.
The event, which occurred on the sidelines of the 70th UN General Assembly, was part of a high-level meeting convened by HE Sheikha Alya al-Thani, Permanent Representative of Qatar to the UN, and focused on the issue of education in emergencies.
A panel of high-ranking officials representing government, multilateral institutions and NGOs, including Gordon Brown, former British PM; Ant?nio Guterres, UN high commissioner for refugees; and Pierre Kr?henbühl, commissioner-general of UNRWA, attended the event.
HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, founder of EAA, presents Attar’s book, along with Unesco director-general Irina Bokova, and it also features a foreword by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the importance of education.
The collection of photographs showcases children attempting to pursue an education in the midst of poverty, conflict and the aftermath of natural disasters.
“We are proud of this important new work, which shines a light on the conditions in which children in desperate conditions are striving to realise their right to a primary education,” said Marcio Barbosa, CEO of Education Above All. “In the three years since HH Sheikha Moza founded Educate A Child, EAA has put commitments in place that have brought quality education to more than 6mn out-of-school children.”
Attar, who has accompanied HH on numerous trips abroad to visit children and teachers, said: “I hope my book opens the world’s eyes to the needs of these children and spurs real action on the issue of universal primary
education.”