Workshop "Education, skilling, and employment in fragile and crisis-affected contexts"

On the 20th of November 2025, Enabel and ETF jointly organised a workshop aiming at advancing the reflection on a common approach to support Human Capital Development (HCD) in fragile and crisis-affected contexts. 

During the event, we reflected with European and international partners on how ongoing and future approaches shaping HCD policies and initiatives should adapt to fragile and conflict-affected contexts, informing ongoing and future international cooperation activities run by donors, implementing agencies, and other stakeholders.

📘 This reflection drew on 20 case studies collected by Enabel and ETF across Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and Eastern Neighbourhood partner countries, showcasing real-world adaptation and resilience in education, skills, and employment in fragile contexts.  Some recommendations emerging from the case studies were shared during the event:

• Make education continuity a humanitarian priority by protecting and funding TVET during crises
• Strengthen rehabilitation capacity for recovery by aligning education with urgent health needs (trauma, amputee, respiratory, psychosocial)
• Create flexible accreditation pathways so students are not blocked from graduation or licensing
• •Invest in resilient, low-tech platforms that function without stable electricity or internet.
• Support educators wellbeing and capacity through training, institutional backing, and psychosocial care
• Apply gender-sensitive measures to ensure that girls and displaced students can access education safely and equitably

The workshop featured a panel discussion with experiences on the ground from UNRWA Lebanon, Gaza Sky Geeks, and Enabel, Burkina Faso and Guinea., and three parallel sessions on the issues of digital technologies in fragile settings, community and provate sector engagement, and cooperation models among stalkeholders.

You can find the presentations given at the event in this slideset.

🌍 The main conclusion of the event was that, with more than ¾ of Enabel and ETF activities happening in fragile contexts, ensuring access to education, skilling and decent work is not only an emergency response - it is a strategic investment in peace, resilience, and hope. 

🙏 Thank you to all participants and colleagues for an inspiring and productive workshop. Let’s continue working together to safeguard and prioritise investments in human capital development where they matter most.