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The , commemorated on 24 January, is centered around youth as co-creators of education. Over half the world's population is younger than 30. These young people actively shape learning, advocate for their futures and, in many of the world's most fragile contexts, risk everything just to keep learning.

In 2015, UN Member States agreed on the critical importance of education by formulating Sustainable Development Goal 4. The core principle is clear: quality education builds healthy communities and reduces inequalities regardless of one's background or identity.

Yet, global in a world marked by the . At the start of 2026, the classroom remains a distant dream for .

"We particularly need to listen to the voices of young people themselves, and act on their pleas for qualified teachers, relevant skills and competencies training for a changing world, and equitable access to technology."

His words are a call for governments and organizations around the world to not only think of education programmes, but to prioritize them in policies and budgets.

Youth co-creating education

With the power of youth as co-creators of education as the 2026 theme, spotlights young people not merely as recipients of schooling, but rather as active contributors in designing and implementing education policies.

"Education systems are strongest when shaped with those they serve: youth and students," , UNESCO's Assistant Director-General for Education. "Young people must be recognized not as observers but as active partners and co-creators of change at all levels: at school, at country level, and in international development cooperation programmes. Our future depends on it!"

This shift from consultation to co-creation matters especially in contexts where education systems are under siege. In crisis-affected countries, where schools become targets themselves, engaging youth as changemakers is essential for the survival of learning.

Schools under fire

Despite Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which recognizes access to education as a human right, attacks on schools have surged in recent years. The UN of violence against school-age children in 2024, a 44 per cent rise in attacks on schools, learners and teachers compared to the year before.

Countries with the highest levels of violations were Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, notably the Gaza Strip, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, Nigeria, and Haiti.

Besides destroying infrastructure, these attacks demolish childhoods, fracture communities and shatter the fragile hope that peace might take root. For youth living amid conflict, education is a lifeline. It offers structure in chaos, provides psychosocial support and from recruitment into armed groups or exploitation. This underlines the urgent need to protect schools and uphold international humanitarian law.

Refugee youth and the fight for learning

The fragility of education systems is even more pronounced for people who are forced to flee. The current school-aged refugee population is estimated at and 46 per cent of them are estimated to be out of school ¨C that means approximately 5.7 million refugee children are missing out on an education.

"Just as you can see refugees determined to learn no matter how adverse the conditions, you can also see the absence of education for too many children ¨C ambitions thwarted, dreams dashed, curious minds with nothing to satisfy that curiosity," the former High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, in the UN Refugee Agency's (UNHCR) latest report on education.

Sustained interruption of access to schools can raise an entire generation in uncertainty. Education serves not only to teach new skills, but also to affirm dignity, identity and hope. Refugee youth is too often denied this opportunity.

For young refugees, the stakes are even higher, says UNHCR. Being in school can protect them from an array of dangers - child labour; early marriage and pregnancy; filling the empty hours with petty crime; forced recruitment, or worse.

Recent cuts to humanitarian and development aid have made access to education for young refugees that much harder, putting the hard-won recent progress at risk.

Education as peacebuilding

Each year, the International Day of Education grows the recognition that education itself is a peacebuilding tool. Beyond the classroom, inclusive learning environments can counter hate, foster empathy and develop the competencies needed for peaceful societies.

is anchored in international standards that champion human dignity, cooperation and dialogue, values that become all the more critical in a world too familiar with conflict.

At its core, the 2026 International Day of Education is a reminder that when young people shape their education, societies strengthen their resilience and their hope. With youth at its heart, education can be both a refuge in times of crisis and a powerful driver of sustainable peace.