BACKGROUND
The Safe Schools Declaration (SSD) turns 10 this month, and we are celebrating with a social media campaign on 28 and 29 May 2025.
Ten years after its launch in Oslo, the Safe Schools Declaration stands as a significant milestone in the global movement to safeguard education during armed conflict. Since 2015, the Declaration has served as a political and normative anchor, encouraging states to take measurable steps to prevent attacks on education and limit the military use of schools. With 121 endorsements to date, it has evolved into an internationally accepted standard – reflected in policy, law, military training, and global discourse.
This campaign includes data and evidence on recent progress of implementing the Declaration around the world. It also highlights three new publications: 1. a brief on the SSD’s 10th Anniversary, 2. an updated SSD Fact Sheet, and 3. a case study on Nigeria.
Pre-drafted social media posts and assets (below) can be used by any and all partners to amplify this campaign. All are encouraged to adapt and publish the content on channels most relevant to their audiences. All are also encouraged to like, share, and otherwise engage with this campaign content directly on GCPEA’s social media channels.
KEY LINKS
- Brief: Protecting Education in Conflict: A Decade of the Safe Schools Declaration
- Fact Sheet: Practical Impact of the Safe Schools Declaration, Second Edition
- Case Study: Nigeria: A Case Study on Implementing the Safe Schools Declaration
- GCPEA website: https://protectingeducation.org
KEY HANDLES AND HASHTAGS
All published posts should use at least one of the following hashtags. For maximum amplification, please tag GCPEA on relevant platforms.
KEY HANDLES
- Bluesky: @gcpea.bsky.social
- LinkedIn: Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack
- X: @GCPEAtweets (N.B. GCPEA will not be publishing this campaign on X, but you may tag @GCPEATweets)
HASHTAGS
- #SafeSchoolsDeclaration
- #10YearsSafeSchoolsDeclaration
- #EducationUnderAttack
- #ProtectEducation
- #ProtectSchools
- #NotATarget
GRAPHIC ASSETS
All campaign assets (1080 x 1080 png files) can be found in this Google folder. Each suggested post below includes a suggested asset to accompany the text.
SUGGESTED SOCIAL POSTS
Drafted for Bluesky, <300 characters + URL
28 and 29 May 2025
SSD Turns 10
Post 1: Suggested graphic: SSD, 10 years.png
Ten years of the #SafeSchoolsDeclaration! 🛡️📚 It's a milestone of real success, but attacks on schools persist. We need to do more to ensure every child can learn and every teacher can teach in safety. #ProtectEducation
Read the new @gcpea.bsky.social brief! https://protectingeducation.org/publication/protecting-education-in-conflict-a-decade-of-the-safe-schools-declaration/
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Post 2: Suggested graphic: SSD summary.png
The #SafeSchoolsDeclaration isn't just words – it's action! 💪 Countries are using it and related guidelines to change military behavior and protect schools. This month, we celebrate a decade of progress and push for more. #10YearsSafeSchoolsDeclaration
Read the new brief from @gcpea.bsky.social. https://protectingeducation.org/publication/protecting-education-in-conflict-a-decade-of-the-safe-schools-declaration/
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Post 3: Suggested graphic: SSD, 10 years.png
Happy 10th Anniversary of the #SafeSchoolsDeclaration! 🎉
This global agreement is changing how we see education in conflict – as essential, not expendable. Let's keep pushing to ensure schools are safe havens. #ProtectSchools #NotATarget
Learn more in a new brief from @gcpea.bsky.social! https://protectingeducation.org/publication/protecting-education-in-conflict-a-decade-of-the-safe-schools-declaration/
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Post 4: Suggested graphic: SSD 10, new publications.png
🎉 This May marks 10 years of the Safe Schools Declaration - a global commitment to protect students, teachers & schools from attack.
📘 From policy shifts to peacekeeping reforms, read how implementation of the #SafeSchoolsDeclaration can save lives and #ProtectEducation around the world. https://protectingeducation.org/publication/ssd-fact-sheet-second-edition/
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Post 5: Suggested graphic: SSD 10, education is essential.png
📢 The first decade of the #SafeSchoolsDeclaration shows that norms can shift, behaviors can adapt.
Children in school during conflict is not only a human right – it is resilience and defiance. Schools symbolize stability, and their protection offers a path to healing and peace. #ProtectEducation https://protectingeducation.org/publication/protecting-education-in-conflict-a-decade-of-the-safe-schools-declaration/
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From Endorsement to Action
Post 6: Suggested graphic: SSD, 121 signatories.png
🌍 121 countries have endorsed the #SafeSchoolsDeclaration - that’s 121 reasons to believe in collective protection for students and teachers in conflict zones.
Read the updated @gcpea.bsky.social fact sheet to learn how education is being safeguarded in conflict contexts. #ProtectEducation https://protectingeducation.org/publication/ssd-fact-sheet-second-edition/
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Post 7: Suggested graphic: SSD 10, new publications.png
🤝 The #SafeSchoolsDeclaration isn't just a pledge - it's a framework for coordinated action.
Technical committees, training armed forces, legal protections are some things signatories are implementing for tangible, lasting change. Find out more in the updated @gcpea.bsky.social fact sheet: https://protectingeducation.org/publication/ssd-fact-sheet-second-edition/
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Military Changes
Post 8: Suggested graphic: SSD, 121 signatories.png
🪖 Military reform = protection for students under fire.
Canada, Denmark, Ecuador, Mali, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland and the UK have updated military manuals, operations, and training with explicit protections for schools. The #SafeSchoolsDeclaration is changing systems. Read how: https://protectingeducation.org/publication/ssd-fact-sheet-second-edition/
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Post 9: Suggested graphic: SSD 10, education is essential.png
Even non-state armed groups are influenced by the #SafeSchoolsDeclaration:
☑️ Groups in Mali agreed to conditionally reopen schools
☑️ Groups in Central African Republic signed protective action plans with the UN
Change is possible - with pressure, partnership & persistence. Read more: https://protectingeducation.org/publication/ssd-fact-sheet-second-edition/
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What Progress Looks Like
Post 10: Suggested graphic: SSD 10, new publications.png
What does implementation of the #SafeSchoolsDeclaration look like?
📌 Nigeria: national safe schools policy + financing plan
📌 Mali: 9 national, regional, and local committees
📌 Ukraine: remote learning, safety plans, early warning systems
Read more about a decade of impact. https://protectingeducation.org/publication/protecting-education-in-conflict-a-decade-of-the-safe-schools-declaration/
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Post 11: Suggested graphic: SSD summary.png
Africa leads on implementation of the #SafeSchoolsDeclaration.
🇲🇱 Mali: Military shifted from school occupation to prefabs
🇨🇫 CAR: Military use of schools now criminalized
🇳🇬 Nigeria: Security actors trained nationwide
Bold policies. Bold results. Read more: https://protectingeducation.org/publication/ssd-fact-sheet-second-edition/
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Spotlight on Nigeria
Post 12: Suggested graphic: SSD 10, new publications.png
🇳🇬 Nigeria's comprehensive approach to #ProtectEducation is a blueprint for others! National ownership, collaboration & vision are key. Political will + partnership + innovation = impact! #SafeSchoolsDeclaration
Read all about it in a new @gcpea.bsky.social case study! https://protectingeducation.org/publication/nigeria-a-case-study-on-implementing-the-safe-schools-declaration/
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Credits:
Content developed by Peter Transburg for GCPEA. Created with an image by demerzel21 - "African Elementary School Classroom"