Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government plans to sign the Safe Schools Declaration following the World Humanitarian Summit discussions on Education in Emergencies and Protracted Crises held on 23 and 24 May 2016.

The UK is committed to upholding the Geneva Conventions in their entirety and expects other states to do the same. Under our International Humanitarian Law obligations the UK already affords schools and educational establishments a high degree of protection during military operations. Whilst we welcome the spirit and intention of the Safe Schools Declaration, we remain concerned that the supporting Guidelines for Protecting Schools and Universities from Military use during armed conflict do not mirror the exact language and content of International Humanitarian Law. We have no current plans to sign the Safe Schools Declaration.