President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has decided to seek Parliament’s consideration for the Maldives to endorse the Safe School Declaration, following Cabinet approval for a paper submitted by the Ministry of Education today.

The Safe Schools Declaration is a political commitment to better protect students, teachers, schools, and universities during armed conflict. The declaration was drafted through a consultative process led by Norway and Argentina and was opened for state endorsement at an international conference held in Oslo, Norway, in May 2015.

Endorsing states commit to use the Guidelines for Protecting Schools and Universities from Military use during Armed Conflict, a non-binding practical tool that offers guidance to parties to conflict to exercise restraint in using schools and universities for military purposes. This better safeguards the civilian character of education facilities.