III 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 286 

Supporting the role of the United States in ensuring children in the poorest 

countries have access to a quality education through the Global Partnership for Education. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

OCTOBER 5, 2017 

Mr. BOOKER (for himself and Mr. RUBIO) submitted the following resolution; 

which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Supporting the role of the United States in ensuring children 

in the poorest countries have access to a quality education through the Global Partnership for Education. 

Whereas access to quality education reduces poverty, advances economic prosperity, improves peace and security, 

and strengthens public health; 

Whereas the 2016 Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report, the globally recognized annual accountability tool on 

the status of education internationally, found that an estimated 263,000,000 children and youth are out of school 

worldwide, with girls still more likely to be out of school 

than their male peers in most of the developing world; 


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•SRES 286 IS 

Whereas a 2015 GEM Report found that two-thirds of the 

world’s out-of-school children live in countries affected by 

fragility and conflict; 

Whereas a 2016 GEM Report found that sub-Saharan Africa 

remains the region with the highest out-of-school rates 

for all age groups and of the 61,000,000 out-of-school 

children of primary school age, 33,000,000, or more than 

half, live in sub-Saharan Africa; 

Whereas the 2011 World Health Organization’s World Report on Disability has found an estimated 90 percent of 

children with disabilities under age 18 in the developing 

world do not attend school; 

Whereas a 2012 GEM Report found that 250,000,000 primary schoolchildren are failing to learn basic literacy and 

numeracy skills, 130,000,000 of whom have attended at 

least four years of school; 

Whereas a 2011 GEM Report found that educating all students in low-income countries with basic reading skills 

could lead to 171,000,000 people lifted out of poverty, a 

12 percent drop in global poverty; 

Whereas a 1999 World Bank study on conflict found every 

year of school decreases the chance of male youth engaging in violent conflict by 20 percent; 

Whereas a 2011 GEM Report reported that an educated 

mother is more likely to have her children vaccinated, 

and girls in school are three times less likely to be infected with HIV than their peers who are not in school; 

Whereas the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) is the 

only public-private global partnership exclusively dedicated to education in the world’s poorest countries; 


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Whereas GPE eligible countries are home to approximately 

870,000,000 children and youth, which represent 78 percent of out-of-school children; 

Whereas GPE support resulted in 72,000,000 more children 

in primary school in 2015 than in 2002 and a 10 percent 

increase in primary school completion over that same period in GPE partner countries; 

Whereas GPE support to partner countries has achieved a 71 

percent primary completion rate for girls in 2014 compared with 56 percent in 2002; 

Whereas 60 percent of GPE’s spending is in countries affected by conflict or fragility and helped these countries 

to increase their primary school completion rates from 56 

percent in 2000 to 69 percent in 2015; 

Whereas GPE incentivizes developing country governments to 

increase their own domestic financing for education, 

which has resulted in partner countries pledging 

$26,000,000,000 for their own domestic financing during 

GPE’s 2014 replenishment conference; 

Whereas support for GPE complements the United States 

Government’s bilateral basic education programs by fostering coordination among all key partners, ensuring the 

development of national education sector plans, and 

building on the commitment of developing country governments; 

Whereas, on April 20, 2017, GPE called on donors and developing country partners to fund a $3,100,000,000, threeyear plan to support 89 developing countries in improving 

the quality of and access to education for 870,000,000 

children and youth and provide education plan implemenVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:54 Oct 06, 2017 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR286.IS SR286

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tation grants to 67 developing countries, covering 64 percent of out-of-school children; 

Whereas GPE is urging developing country governments to 

allocate 20 percent of government expenditure to education and philanthropic and private sector donors to increase their contributions; and 

Whereas, with support from donors, GPE will be able to ensure 19,000,000 more children complete primary school, 

6,600,000 more children complete lower secondary school, 

1,700,000 more teachers are trained, 23,800 classrooms 

are built, and 204,000,000 textbooks are distributed, 

bringing new hope to a generation of children and youth: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) affirms the leadership and commitment of 

3 the United States Government to improving access 

4 to quality education for the poorest and most 

5 marginalized children and youth worldwide, which is 

6 critical to global stability, economic prosperity, and 

7 poverty elimination; 

8 (2) supports the mission and goals of the Glob9 al Partnership for Education (GPE) to mobilize 

10 global and national efforts to contribute to the 

11 achievement of equitable, quality education and 

12 learning, with a focus on effective and efficient edu13 cation systems and strong education financing; 

14 (3) recognizes that United States Government 

15 investments in bilateral basic education are comVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:54 Oct 06, 2017 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR286.IS SR286

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1 plemented by GPE’s education systems approach 

2 and convening authority; and 

3 (4) encourages increased commitment and in4 vestment by the United States Government, inter5 national donors, private foundations, and private 

6 sector donors through the GPE to the global effort 

7 to ensure children and youth are in school and learn8 ing throughout the world. 

Æ 


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