A/HRC/37/33 and thus deny children their right to education. Using a school for military purposes can also increase the risk of the recruitment of children by armed forces, or may leave children vulnerable to sexual abuse or exploitation. For this reason, the Committee on the Rights of the Child, following its day of general discussion on the right of the right to education in emergency situations, held on 19 September 2008, urged States to ensure that schools were protected from military attacks or seizure by militants, or used as centres for recruitment. To date, 71 States have signed the Safe Schools Declaration, endorsing its accompanying guidelines. 54. Sustainable Development Goal 4 has the aim of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all, including children in humanitarian situations. In its submission to OHCHR, Child Rights Connect pointed out that fulfilling the right of children to be in school and to learning, in compliance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, will help to break the cycle of crises and deliver high economic and social returns. Despite the recognition that the right to education in emergencies is essential for all children, education in emergencies continues to be underfunded, receiving less than 2 per cent of humanitarian funding.36 55. Education also plays an important role in raising awareness and developing skills that will help children to prepare for humanitarian situations. In its submission to OHCHR, the Government of Australia drew attention to the Australian Curriculum, which incorporates education about natural disasters, their causes and effects, and ways to minimize their impact. Bosnia and Herzegovina, in conjunction with UNICEF, has implemented a project aimed at strengthening the capacity of teaching staff to work with children during disasters in order to improve their safety and security, and to train children and parents in schools to secure their rights in emergencies. E. Birth registration and data collection 56. Birth registration is an essential tool to protect children in times of emergency. Legal identity provides a degree of protection for children against the risks of illegal adoption and other violations. Lack of a legal identity can on the other hand complicate reunification efforts for separated children, particularly if a child is given a new name. The Birth Registration in Emergencies Toolkit, developed by Plan International,37 addresses interventions that promote and improve the access of girls and boys to continuous, permanent and non-discriminatory birth registration services in humanitarian situations. The toolkit comprises a step-by-step guide, developed to support the analysis, design and testing of birth registration interventions before, during and after an emergency for a low cost. In situations of emergencies, Plan International has worked with countries to build on and strengthen existing official civil registration and vital statistics systems. This often requires the establishment of mobile registration units for remote, rural or nomadic populations, and the decentralization of services, so they are available at the local level. 57. Decision-making in humanitarian situations must be based on evidence from reliable data, in order to make the best use of resources (A/67/89-E/2012/77, para. 4) The dangers and threats that children face in humanitarian situations, and patterns of vulnerability and discrimination, are often not fully understood owing to a failure to collect reliable information in a timely manner. It is vital that States improve the collection, analysis, dissemination and use of data and statistics, disaggregated by income, sex, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic location and other relevant characteristics, in order to provide an appropriate response to humanitarian situations. Making data of this type available to partners and the public can help to drive better decision-making; for example, the Kenya Open Data Initiative makes public government datasets accessible to 36 37 12 See Education Cannot Wait, the situation, at www.educationcannotwait.org/the-situation/. See www.brietoolkit.com.