About us

We are building a movement to end the global education crisis.

We broker relationships between diverse stakeholders and support companies to implement environmental, social, and governance (ESG) activities which leverage sustainable impact for children and youth.

Our work is direct at achieving our mission: ensuring all young people have the best start in life, a safe place to learn, and skills for the future.

Established as an initiative of the global children’s charity Theirworld in 2012, the Global Business Coalition for Education leverages the collective power of business, government, international organizations, NGOs, youth, and other stakeholders to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal of free, equitable, and inclusive quality education for all.

We empower companies to make strategic decisions about how to have the greatest impact in reaching this ambition.

We believe education is the key to unlocking all social, economic, and development goals. Innovation and economic growth, climate action and health outcomes, racial and gender equity — and so much more — all depend on education. We also know that tackling the global education crisis takes the collective power and assets of the business community.

Why now

As demands on companies increase for improved ESG performance, driving change through education is more important today than ever before. It’s time to come together to make the case that education is the key to unlocking big change.

Education is central to the success of the business community. Thriving as a business in the 21st century requires an educated workforce, a growing customer base, and the ability to innovate and stay ahead of rapid change — all of these ultimately depend on the quality of the education system in the communities businesses live and work in.

In countries across the globe, whether rich or poor, education is under-resourced.

• 90% of a child’s brain develops between birth and the age of 5. However, 175 million children worldwide are not enrolled in early years education
• 260 million children around the world are not in school. Of those, 75 million had their education interrupted by conflicts or emergencies
• 70% of 10-year-olds cannot read a simple text. This includes many that completed several years of school
• 825 million youth are not on track to have the basic skills to enter the workforce by 2030.This represents half of all young people, including hundreds of millions of girls.