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Syrian refugees at a double-shift system school in Lebanon

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More than 50 leading global charities today called on world leaders to urgently fund education for children caught up in conflicts and natural disasters.

They said the international community must commit to a new education in emergencies platform when they meet at the first World Humanitarian Summit next month.

The organisations include Â鶹APP“ the childrenÂ鶹APP™s charity behind A World at School Â鶹APP“Ìý, , , and .

They said that, for the Istanbul summit to be a success, the platform must be launched and leaders must commit to multi-year pledges aimed at supporting the education of millions of children affected by emergencies.

An last month revealed that in 2015 more than 80 million children and young people had their education disrupted or destroyed by emergencies and prolonged crises.

Record numbers of attacks on schools, natural disasters, wars and the largest refugee crisis since World War II have increased the need for education in emergencies.

Nepalese children back at school months after the 2015 earthquake

Despite this, less than 2% of all humanitarian funding has gone to education every year since 2010. There is now an annual shortfall of about $9 billion for education in emergencies.

The charities warned that the new fund must:

• Be financed with multi-year donor commitments
• Be supported by new funding and resources that are ambitious enough to address the scale of the crisis in education and emergencies
• Be supported by resources that are additional Â鶹APP“ and not at the expense of other critical education and poverty-fighting interventions
• Build on existing financing mechanismsÌýto ensure smooth transition from crisis response to longer-term development of education systems

Rob Williams, CEO of , said: Â鶹APPœWe need the new education crisis platform to be ambitiously funded from its launch.

Â鶹APPœThe cost to the international community of not doing so, the cost of more lost generations of children denied their right to education, is just too high.Â鶹APP�

Jennifer Rigg, Executive Director of the , said: Â鶹APPœAround the world we are facing lost futures for millions of children, youth and families as prolonged crises and emergencies destroy communities and disrupt lives.

Alison, 14, reads at a camp for internally displaced people in conflict-torn Central African Republic Picture: UNICEF/Bindra

Â鶹APPœThe current average displacement due to refugee situations is 17 years. Education is a life-saving intervention and universal right that simply cannot wait.

Â鶹APPœNew and additional funding is required to equip children and youth with the tools to rebuild their futures and the futures of their communities.Â鶹APP�

Ben Hewitt, Director of Campaigns and Communications for Â鶹APP, said: Â鶹APPœWe cannot stand by while children are shut out from the opportunity for an education due to conflicts and disasters.

Â鶹APPœWe must bring new and immediate financing to deliver education alongside protection and other essential social services. It is imperative we invest in hope, and the future.

Â鶹APPœGetting children back into school and keeping them there can prevent risks of exploitation, early marriage, trafficking and extremism.Â鶹APP�

The charitiesÂ鶹APP™ call comes after A World at School launched the #SafeSchools campaign last month. We believeÌýthe new platform can Â鶹APP“ and must reach Â鶹APP“ at least 20 million children annually within five years Â鶹APP“ with a plan in place to reach every child by 2030.