About INEE

The Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE)

The Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) is an open global network of representatives from NGOs, UN agencies, donor agencies, governments, academic institutions, schools and affected populations working together to ensure all persons the right to quality and safe education in emergencies and post-crisis recovery.

The History of INEE

INEE was conceived in 2000 during the World Education Forum’s Strategy Session on Education in Emergencies in Dakar during which the idea was proposed to develop a process which would improve inter-agency communication and collaboration within the context of education in emergencies. At a follow-up Inter-Agency Consultation held in Geneva in November 2000, INEE was officially founded to build upon and consolidate existing networks. INEE’s work is founded on a number of international legal conventions and documents.

Mission and Vision

Our purpose as the Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) is to serve as an open global network of members working together within a humanitarian and development framework to ensure all people the right to quality and safe education in emergencies and post-crisis recovery. INEE envisions a world where:

  • All people affected by crisis and instability have access to quality, relevant and safe education opportunities;
  • Education services are integrated into all emergency interventions as an essential life-saving and life-sustaining component of humanitarian response
  • Governments and donors provide sustainable funding and develop holistic policies to ensure education preparedness, crisis prevention, mitigation, response and recovery;
  • All education programmes preparing for and responding to emergencies, chronic crises and recovery are consistent with the INEE Minimum Standards and accountable for quality and results.

 

Guiding Principles and Values

Within INEE we believe that:

  • Education is a basic human right of all people affected by crisis and instability
  • Education protects during crises and lays a sustainable foundation for recovery, peace and development
  • Education should be included in all humanitarian responses
  • Education policy and services must be actively sustained and coordinated across the humanitarian – development continuum before, during and in recovery from crises
  • Crises which destabilize education can be approached not only as urgent situations of immediate need but also as opportunities for positive change
  • INEE strives to be an open, flexible network with minimum formal structure, with shared leadership, open non-competitive membership and strong inter-agency collaborative relationships, playing a facilitative as opposed to an operational role
  • INEE complements other more formal inter-agency mechanisms by employing the ‘soft power’ of convening and facilitating, not directing and competing, to draw agencies together, sustain commitment and strengthen collaboration for education preparedness, emergency response and post-crisis recovery
  • Education, like other humanitarian and development endeavours, must adhere to clear standards of quality and be accountable for results.

 

How does INEE work?

Since its inception in 2000, INEE has grown into an open global network of more than 5,700 practitioners, students, teachers, staff from UN agencies, non-governmental organizations, donors, governments and universities who work together to ensure the right to education in emergencies and early recovery. INEE members:

  • communicate principally through a moderated listserv and website
  • self-organize and engage via network working groups, task teams, interest groups, language communities and individual member initiatives and organisations
  • are supported by core secretariat staff based in the New York offices of UNICEF and the International Rescue Committee and in UNESCO, Paris.

 

INEE was defined not as a formal organization with bureaucratic functions, but rather as a flexible and responsive mechanism which brings organizations and individuals together to facilitate collaboration, share experiences and resources, establish standards for the field, and engage in advocacy regarding the right to education. The Network has put particular emphasis on avoiding duplication while promoting a diversity of ideas, approaches and gender sensitivity. INEE does not implement projects or co-ordinate agencies, but works to enable members to be more effective. Over time, it has become clear that building and maintaining this unique network approach and collaborative methodology involves a number of specific choices and behaviours, characteristics that have come to define the ‘culture’ of INEE, including:

  • A clear shared vision and collective determination to ensure education becomes a priority humanitarian response
  • A motivated and responsive global team of individual members, Steering Group representatives and Secretariat staff working with and for the leading organisations in the field
  • A commitment to collaboration, flexibility, openness and transparency
  • Core funding, resources and in-kind contributions leveraged from and through diverse sources
  • Inclusive and interactive membership communication mechanisms including the listserv, Minimum Standards consultations and trainings, Task Teams, Interest Groups, and French, Spanish and Portuguese Language Communities
  • A strategic approach which harnesses the power of a global network to consultatively determine priorities and respond to the dynamic nature of the field

 

For more questions and answers on INEE, please read the list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).