Our journey
Young people demand action to protect learners and make schools safe
Safe to Learn was launched in 2019 at the Education World Forum in response to a powerful demand from young people: to make every school a safe place to learn. Their voices were captured in the #ENDviolence Youth Manifesto, written by more than 100 young activists who called on global leaders to take stronger action to protect children in and around schools.
Safe to Learn began as a global campaign, created to turn this call into meaningful political action. From the outset, governments stepped forward to endorse the Safe to Learn Call to Action, signaling political commitment to safer, more protective education systems. Since then, the number of endorsing countries has steadily grown, reflecting rising global momentum to end violence in and through schools.
Safe to Learn has evolved from a campaign into a global initiative focused on strengthening national efforts to prevent and respond to violence in, around and through schools. The coalition – originally just five founding partners – has since expanded into a diverse network of governments, multi and bilateral agencies, civil society organizations, child and youth networks and the private sector working together to ensure every child can learn free from violence.
From the start, Safe to Learn partners focused on developing and amplifying practical tools and evidence-based guidance to help countries strengthen their education systems – supporting them to assess risks, diagnose system gaps, measure progress, and design effective interventions. This includes the Safe to Learn Call to Action, Programmatic Framework and Benchmarking Tool, and Diagnostic Tool. These resources are supporting governments and partners to shift from projects to coordinated, sustainable action that embeds child protection at the heart of education.
Originally part of the End Violence Partnership, the Safe to Learn Initiative has been based within UNICEF since 2023, working with coalition partners to make sure that safe learning is a central part of education systems worldwide.
