On 4th May, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to education, Dr Koumbou Boly Barry, organised a consultation with representatives of multilateral institutions and civil society organisations on 'the impact of the Covid 19 crisis on the right to education, concerns, challenges, opportunities'. The consultation was organised in collboration with GI-ESCR, which provided technical support.

Over 20 participants from a range of organisations were present, including the CEO of the Global Partnership for Education, Ms Alice Albright, and the Director General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, Mr Salim M. AlMalik. The discussion addressed the various issues from a right to education perspective to be considered with regard to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

GI-ESCR's Senior Research and Legal Advisor provided a short presentation on the importance to measure the policy responses to the pandemic from a human rights perspective, and the need to focus on the long-term structural effects of policy reforms, while managing the risks that short-term solutions may threaten the realisation of the right to education, including in particular the risk to hand-over education control to commercial actors.

The UN Special Rapporteur on the right to education indicated that she will use the discussions and contributions to input into her forthcoming report, that she will present at the next UN Human Rights Council's session starting on 15 June.