Qatar Pavilion

According to a recent joint World Bank – UNESCO report, “despite additional funding needs, two-thirds of low- and lower-middle-income countries have, in fact, cut their public education budgets since the onset of the pandemic.” While these cuts are not as large as expected, these budget declines could increase as countries’ fiscal positions worsen with time. This could hurt the most marginalized communities in their efforts to access quality education. While sound governance and planning will play a key role in stabilizing each country’s fiscal position, other members of the global education development community (such as philanthropic foundations, the private sector, multilateral development organizations and others) can play a vital role in mitigating such challenges in coordination and partnership with the developing countries and other stakeholders. Experience of the Education Above All Foundation shows that through partnerships and interaction of different countries and different types of institutions and communities, impressive results can be achieved and even the most intractable global challenges can be addressed. The key outcome of this session is to analyse and highlight innovative partnership models and financing approaches by key stakeholders from different regions in a joint effort to find an answer to one of the Sustainable Development Goals - access to quality education.

Moderator
Isak Froumin, Head, Institute of Education, HSE University

Isak Froumin

Head, Institute of Education, HSE University

Isak Froumin is a Head of the Institute of Education at National Research University “Higher School of Economics” in Moscow (Russia). His responsibilities also include advising the university strategic planning and international cooperation.
Prof. Froumin was leading the World Bank education program in Russia from 1999 to 2011. His World Bank experience also extends to the projects in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Turkmenistan and India.
In 2011 he was co-chair of the education part of the “Russia Strategy 2020” expert group. In 2012 – 2016 he was an advisor to the Minister of Education and Science of Russia Federation and the member of the Russian delegation at OECD Education Policy Committee.
Prof.Froumin is the author of more than 250 publications including articles and books in Russian and English.
His current key research interests are:
Development of higher education systems.
University and school governance.
Foresight of education.
Educational and life trajectories.

Panellists
Mikhail Alashkevich, Senior Vice-President, VEB.RF
Muneera Al-Baker, Youth Advocate, Education Above All Foundation
Maryam Al-Nasr, Head of Partnerships Development, Education Above All Foundation
Fahad bin Jassim Al-Thani, Vice President, Financial Services Sector, Qatar Financial Centre
Kadiatou Baby Maiga, Head, Project Management Unit, PACETEM Project, Ministry of Education, Republic of Mali
Afshan Khan, Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

Mikhail Alashkevich

Senior Vice-President, VEB.RF

For last year worked as the head of the Public Administration Department in the Center for Strategic Research Foundation, before that worked as the Director of the Department of Finance, Budget Process Organization, Methodology and Economics of Education and Science in the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation. From 2010 until 2013 worked as the Deputy Director of the Department of budgetary policy in the social sector and science in the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation where was in charge of monitoring and supporting of the implementation of the reform of budget institutions, budgetary policy in the spheres of education and sport. Previously, implemented projects in the field of management consulting and managed subdivisions in project organizations such as National Training Foundation, IBS, Russian business magazine “Expert”.
Mikhail Alashkevich graduated from Krasnoyarsk State University with a major in World Economics, then postgraduate school of Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) in World Economy. After the completion of the Master's program at the Faculty of Political Science at the Moscow school of social and economic science he obtained a Master's degree in Political Science at Manchester University.
The following issues fall within his remit: issues of public sector economics and finance, including budget policy in the social sphere, issues of improving the legal status, developing economic standards and reforming the model of financial support for state and municipal institutions, financial sustainability of organizations, the quality of their financial management. Currently, he is responsible for the methodology of measures of state budgetary support for investment projects, including state guarantees, financial audit, new financial instruments for the development of social sectors, project management, regional development.

Afshan Khan

Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)