18 million people call on world leaders to get every child in school
Queen Rania delivers 1GOAL Education Petition to UN Secretary-General

Her Majesty Queen Rania of Jordan today joined 12 year old South African schoolgirl Nthabiseng Tshabalala in New York to hand in an eighteen-million strong petition to the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon. The petition, presented as a chalkboard representing the millions of people that had signed up, demanded immediate action from world leaders to deliver education for the 69 million children currently unable to go to school.

Among the millions to have signed the Global Campaign for Education’s 1GOAL petition are over 200 stars from the world of football, including Pele, Zinedine Zidane, Franz Beckenbauer, Michael Essien, Park-Ji Sung and Cristiano Ronaldo together with leading names from entertainment such as Shakira, Kevin Spacey, Mick Jagger, Jessica Alba and Matt Damon.

Her Majesty Queen Rania of Jordan co-chair and co-founder of the 1GOAL campaign said: “In signing the petition, 18 million people from across geographical and political boundaries, religious and social backgrounds have raised the alarm to demand that global leaders keep their promises on education. Education doesn’t just beat poverty; it beats disease and can restore social and economic justice. There is no more time for stalling and talking, world leaders must listen to their people and act now to make Education for All a reality.”

People from over hundred countries all around the world signed up to show their support both online, through SMS and rallies across Africa that led to over 100,000 people signing yellow cards. Just last week some 15,000 personal messages were sent to Ban Ki-Moon caling on him to champion the education cause.

The impact of the campaign is starting to pay dividends with the Australian Government announcing over $500 mn a year for basic education and the World Bank announced $150 mn a year at a GCE and Fast Track Initiative Event held in New York on Monday 20th September.

1GOAL’s youngest ambassador Nthabiseng Tshabalala, 12, from Soweto, South Africa, said: “I am lucky. I am able to go to school and study for a better life than my parents had. Leaders are here because they went to school and university to learn, and this is what gave you your chance in life. Everybody here talks about education but I don’t understand why nothing is happening.”

During the World Cup half a million people a week signed up to the campaign which was supported by the GSMA and the world’s biggest mobile companies such as MTN and Telefonica, who between them recruited four million people to 1GOAL. Other companies such as Microsoft Xbox also supported the campaign.

Kailash Satyarthi, President of the Global Campaign for Education said: “World leaders cannot bury their collective heads in the sand any longer. We urge Ban Ki-Moon to help children from all over the world and listen to the messages calling for change from eighteen million people. Now we wait for their response. Education is the very basis of all that is good in the world, health prosperity and democracy. Now is the time for action.”