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International Day of Families Statement by Education Cannot Wait Executive Director Yasmine Sherif
NEW YORK, May 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- There is no force more powerful than family. Family binds us together in times of trouble. Family unites generations and connects cultures. Family is a key driver for a world in peace, economic security and growth in all areas of life. Both at micro- and macro-level.
As we look forward to the Second World Summit for Social Development on this year's International Day of Families, we must recognize the power of education to activate and empower families as agents of change.
With quality education, families foster and inspire human capital of resourceful peacemakers and creative individuals who can drive positive social and economic development. With quality education, an entire generation of girls can grow up to be equal leaders within their communities, within their economies and within their homes.
As we note from the initial draft of the Political Declaration for the Second World Summit for Social Development, education is a key force in our collective commitment to "foster inclusive, equitable and cohesive societies grounded in human dignity, solidarity, tolerance and full participation for all." This commitment – grounded in international law, such as the UN Charter – plays a significant role in quality education. It is through the family that children and adolescents develop the skills and the potential to overcome contemporary challenges, to be a positive contributor to society and to make a mark on the world.
As a bedrock for strong families – and even stronger societies – education must be made available to all. A family without access to quality education will not be empowered to rise up from extreme poverty, end child marriages and other barriers to education, or even have the strength to contribute to their own survival, let alone that of the rest of the world.
Unfortunately, we are falling behind on our commitments – especially on the frontlines of the world's most severe humanitarian crises where conflicts, forced displacement and climate change are pulling families apart and undermining global efforts to deliver on the promises of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Pact for the Future.
Today, low and lower-middle-income countries face a nearly US$100 billion annual financing gap to reach their education targets. Without additional measures by 2030, 94 million children and adolescents will be out of school, 300 million students will lack basic numeracy and literacy skills, and only 1 in 6 countries will achieve goals for universal secondary education, according to the United Nations. Now, add upon this the magnitude of mental health impact, violence, negative role models and a stark sense of disempowerment for every child lacking a family and quality education.
As an innovative model of UN reform, Education Cannot Wait (ECW) and its strategic partners deliver quality education for children in the world's most challenging contexts. In refugee camps in places like Bangladesh, Chad and Uganda, hundreds of thousands of girls and boys receive mental health and psychosocial support, school meals, and learn to read and write. Some are attending school for the very first time. For them, this is a life-transforming opportunity.
On the frontlines of brutal conflicts in places like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine, ECW and our partners do what we can with what we have to provide the bare minimum of mental health support until hostilities cease, and we can fully invest in the resilience of these families and their children through a holistic quality education.
In forgotten crises in places like the Central African Republic and Haiti, entire communities are benefiting from vocational skills training, catch-up courses for young mothers and other innovative supports that benefit not just children, but their entire communities.
We cannot achieve sustainable development and peace without families. And we cannot build strong families without education for all. Families offer love, care, emotional support, values, stability and security. The role of the school is to jointly develop these imperatives towards learning and the achievement of the child's potential. Many of the challenges we face today evidence that these imperatives and linkages have broken down. Therefore, building back better requires a reversal.
As world leaders come together to reimagine how humanitarian aid is delivered – with impact, efficiency and effectiveness at the forefront – they must put education first for all families in extreme poverty, brutal wars and climate disasters. Only then can we empower them to rise up from the ashes, restore peace and ensure sustainable development. Families bind us together, all while quality education is the uniting bind that ties us all together as a human family.
International Day of Families Statement by Education Cannot Wait Executive Director Yasmine Sherif
NEW YORK, May 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- There is no force more powerful than family. Family binds us together in times of trouble. Family unites generations and connects cultures. Family is a key driver for a world in peace, economic security and growth in all areas of life. Both at micro- and macro-level.
As we look forward to the Second World Summit for Social Development on this year's International Day of Families, we must recognize the power of education to activate and empower families as agents of change.
With quality education, families foster and inspire human capital of resourceful peacemakers and creative individuals who can drive positive social and economic development. With quality education, an entire generation of girls can grow up to be equal leaders within their communities, within their economies and within their homes.
As we note from the initial draft of the Political Declaration for the Second World Summit for Social Development, education is a key force in our collective commitment to "foster inclusive, equitable and cohesive societies grounded in human dignity, solidarity, tolerance and full participation for all." This commitment – grounded in international law, such as the UN Charter – plays a significant role in quality education. It is through the family that children and adolescents develop the skills and the potential to overcome contemporary challenges, to be a positive contributor to society and to make a mark on the world.
As a bedrock for strong families – and even stronger societies – education must be made available to all. A family without access to quality education will not be empowered to rise up from extreme poverty, end child marriages and other barriers to education, or even have the strength to contribute to their own survival, let alone that of the rest of the world.
Unfortunately, we are falling behind on our commitments – especially on the frontlines of the world's most severe humanitarian crises where conflicts, forced displacement and climate change are pulling families apart and undermining global efforts to deliver on the promises of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Pact for the Future.
Today, low and lower-middle-income countries face a nearly US$100 billion annual financing gap to reach their education targets. Without additional measures by 2030, 94 million children and adolescents will be out of school, 300 million students will lack basic numeracy and literacy skills, and only 1 in 6 countries will achieve goals for universal secondary education, according to the United Nations. Now, add upon this the magnitude of mental health impact, violence, negative role models and a stark sense of disempowerment for every child lacking a family and quality education.
As an innovative model of UN reform, Education Cannot Wait (ECW) and its strategic partners deliver quality education for children in the world's most challenging contexts. In refugee camps in places like Bangladesh, Chad and Uganda, hundreds of thousands of girls and boys receive mental health and psychosocial support, school meals, and learn to read and write. Some are attending school for the very first time. For them, this is a life-transforming opportunity.
On the frontlines of brutal conflicts in places like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine, ECW and our partners do what we can with what we have to provide the bare minimum of mental health support until hostilities cease, and we can fully invest in the resilience of these families and their children through a holistic quality education.
In forgotten crises in places like the Central African Republic and Haiti, entire communities are benefiting from vocational skills training, catch-up courses for young mothers and other innovative supports that benefit not just children, but their entire communities.
We cannot achieve sustainable development and peace without families. And we cannot build strong families without education for all. Families offer love, care, emotional support, values, stability and security. The role of the school is to jointly develop these imperatives towards learning and the achievement of the child's potential. Many of the challenges we face today evidence that these imperatives and linkages have broken down. Therefore, building back better requires a reversal.
As world leaders come together to reimagine how humanitarian aid is delivered – with impact, efficiency and effectiveness at the forefront – they must put education first for all families in extreme poverty, brutal wars and climate disasters. Only then can we empower them to rise up from the ashes, restore peace and ensure sustainable development. Families bind us together, all while quality education is the uniting bind that ties us all together as a human family.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Education Connects Families and Fosters Peace and Sustainable Development
Limited-edition designs of Bellroy's lightweight, everyday bags and pouches from the Cinch range.
MELBOURNE, Australia, Jan. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Bellroy released new limited-edition products to their Cinch collection in celebration of the Year of the Horse, with colors, silhouettes and hidden messages representing calm and relaxation. The custom designs capture the symbolism of the new year with an injection of modernity, with crimson to represent lucky red, seafoam green as a nod to spring, and hidden messages of rest and readiness, unique to each style. These limited-edition products are available now at bellroy.com and at select retailers.
Products:
- Cinch Backpack – Year of the Horse Edition
- Cinch Mini Messenger – Year of the Horse Edition
- Cinch Pocket – Year of the Horse Edition
- Cinch Pouch – Year of the Horse Edition
- New Year Horse Charm
- New Year Owl Charm
Bellroy is also offering customers the New Year Horse Charm and New Year Owl Charm as gifts with the purchase of the Cinch Backpack – Year of the Horse Edition or Mini Messenger – Year of the Horse Edition (while stocks last). The horse charm, molded from clay and developed through 3D printing, features two snuggling horses sitting on a diamond-style knot that loosely resembles a traditional Chinese knot. Bellroy Designer Rowan Dinning says, "For Year of the Horse, we didn't want to signal a hustle culture, like the cliché, prancing pony. We focused more on being in connection with family and that sense of community when putting together the capsule."
This capsule is a modern take on a year that is often tied to speed, ambition and momentum. Bellroy reframes the story: rest and prepare, then move with purpose. "The idea was inspired by the phonetic similarity between 'Cinch' and the Chinese word '松弛' (sōngchí), which means relaxed, chilled or loosened. The design language of the Cinch family – playful structure, soft and lightweight materials – further reinforces this 'chilled' feeling," says Bellroy BD Project Manager Fiona Fang.
Cinch Backpack – Year of the Horse Edition
Cinch Mini Messenger – Year of the Horse Edition
Cinch Pocket – Year of the Horse Edition
Cinch Pouch – Year of the Horse Edition
New Year Horse Charm and New Year Owl Charm
- RRP US$35 each.
- Available as a free gift with eligible purchases.
Now available at bellroy.com and selected retailers.
Product images available here.
Apple-exclusive collection
In addition to the collection available on bellroy.com, Bellroy has collaborated with Chinese paper artist Chen Fenwan to create a Year of the Horse Collection made exclusively for Apple – comprising the Laptop Caddy, Travel Organizer and Cinch Messenger. Each limited-edition product includes an exclusive patterned lining designed by the artist.
Laptop Caddy 14" – Special Edition
Travel Organizer – Special Edition
Cinch Messenger – Special Edition
Now available at apple.com and in select stores.
Product images available here.
About Bellroy
Bellroy is an Australian certified B-Corp revolutionizing everyday carry since 2010. The design-obsessed brand creates wallets, bags, and tech accessories that solve real problems through sustainable materials and meticulous engineering. With products sold in 100+ countries, Bellroy demonstrates that business can be a force for good without compromising on quality or design.
Social Media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bellroy
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bellroy_official
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bellroy.official|
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bellroy_official
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/bellroy
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Bellroy Releases Year of the Horse Capsule Collection
