A/HRC/44/39 I. Introduction 1. In the present report, prepared pursuant to Human Rights Council resolutions 8/4, 35/2 and 38/9, the Special Rapporteur on the right to education addresses the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis on the right to education. Given that the pandemic has affected, and continues to affect, the right to education in all parts of the world terribly, the Special Rapporteur has decided to modify her plans for the submission of thematic reports and to contribute to the ongoing global discussions on how to ensure continuity of education. In the present report, she addresses the issues she considers to be the most pressing from a human rights perspective.1 2. Much has been written about the appalling impact that the COVID-19 crisis has had on education systems and learners. Numerous actors, whether governmental, intergovernmental or non-governmental, at the national, regional and international levels, have issued useful guidelines and recommendations on how to address the situation of the more than 1.5 billion learners affected by the closure of schools and universities worldwide. Overall, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), as of 2 April 2020, 194 countries and territories had closed their schools nationally while in other countries schools closed locally.2 3. The Special Rapporteur welcomes the work done by international organizations such as UNESCO, the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the African Union, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Global Partnership for Education and the InterAgency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE), as well as by non-governmental organizations and trade unions throughout the world. She commends their efforts to foster international cooperation, share good practices and provide useful guidelines and suggestions on how best to address what can be called an education crisis. 4. Now that the first period – during which educational institutions were closed in haste, generally without warning or preparation – has passed, it is crucial to take stock of what has happened and to analyse the short-, medium- and long-term impact of this crisis on education. 5. As some countries have slowly started or plan to reopen educational institutions, the full implications of the COVID-19 crisis for education will depend on the measures adopted now. Most steps taken during the crisis have to be considered temporary in nature, while a number of others may open new possibilities. The main issue is whether we will be able to generate positive change while not undoing the progress made over recent decades, in particular in terms of access to education. 6. An assessment of the impact of the crisis should be done, however, without losing sight of the overall and wider context: public education systems remain underfunded and under pressure, inequalities in education are still striking, access to education is a dream for many and 258 million children and youth were already out of school before the pandemic, 3 including children with disabilities. 4 About 773 million persons today remain illiterate; many of them are women living in lower-income countries.5 7. The crisis has dramatically exacerbated already well-known issues regarding the implementation of the right to education. While it is important to assess the impact of the crisis, it is no less crucial to recognize how certain features of current educational systems have minimized or maximized the negative (or positive) impacts of the COVID-19 situation. In particular, structural discrimination has made a dramatic appearance during the 1 2 3 4 5 4 Originally planned for submission to the Human Rights Council at its forty-fourth session, the thematic report on the cultural dimensions of the right to education will be prepared for consideration at a later date. See https://en.unesco.org/covid19/educationresponse. See https://tellmaps.com/uis/oosc/#!/tellmap/-528275754. Submission by the International Disability Alliance and the International Disability and Development Consortium. See http://uis.unesco.org/en/topic/literacy.