Centre for Global Education

The Centre for Global Education is delivering an education and psychosocial support programme for 45 Palestinian children aged 12-16 years who have dropped out of school in Beddawi refugee camp near Tripoli in northern Lebanon. The programme is being delivered in partnership with the Women's Programs Association, a Palestinian NGO, and is funded by the Irish National Teachers' Organisation's Global Solidarity Fund.

The UN Rapporteur, Francesca Albanese, warned that the genocidal violence witnessed in Gaza has metastasized and spread into Lebanon. Since the escalation of hostilities in Lebanon at the end of February, nearly 4,000 people have been killed, 11,700 injured and more than one million people displaced. I took a tour of the Shia suburb of Dahiyeh, southern Beirut, which has been repeatedly targeted by Israeli forces and saw apartment blocs levelled and civilian infrastructure targeted. Lebanon is paying a terrible price for the international community failing to stop the genocide in Gaza.

Centreforglobaleducation Ni is delivering an education programme for 80 Palestinian refugee children aged 12-16 years in Lebanon who have dropped out of school. The programme provides classes in Arabic, English, Maths and Life-skills from Monday to Friday in three Palestinian camps: Burj Barajneh in Beirut, and Nahr El-Bared and Beddawi camps in Tripoli, northern Lebanon. The young people in the photo are from Beddawi camp and are enjoying their new journey in education. The project is funded by the NIPSA Global Solidarity Fund.

Burj Barajneh, a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Beirut has been under an evacuation order from Israeli occupation forces and many of the Syrian residents of the camp have returned to Syria as a result. The camp is close to Dahieh, the mainly Shia suburb of Beirut that has been pounded by Israel since the end of February. Residents of the camp wait to see if the agreement between the US and Iran will result in a cessation of Israeli aggression in Lebanon.

According to the UN, around one million people or one-fifth of the entire population of Lebanon has been forcibly displaced from their homes and villages in the south by Israeli occupation forces. While 134,800 Internally Displaced Persons have found refuge in 642 collective shelters, the majority are living in precarious conditions on the streets. This morning I walked along the Corniche, Beirut’s sea front and found family after family living on the pavement in make-shift tents without dignity or any visible forms of support. Many of these people will not have homes to return to given the destruction of more than 40,000 housing units to date.

Huge public turnout today at Belfast City Hall condemning the racist violence directed at our neighbours in the minority ethnic communities this week. All speakers demanded a stronger statutory and police response to racism and better protection of vulnerable communities who were mostly dependent on voluntary women's groups, community and voluntary organisations and trade unions for protection and sanctuary when confronted by racist mobs this week.

Racist mobs visited terrible violence, fear and intimidation on minority communities in Belfast overnight. They have exploited an isolated violent incident in north Belfast on Monday night involving a Sudanese national to incite hatred against vulnerable minority ethnic communities, some of whom were burnt out of their homes. United Against Racism Belfast has organised a rally on Saturday which we should all support as a public demonstration of opposition to racist progroms. Assemble at 1.00pm, Belfast City Hall.

Please find attached a report on a webinar organised by Centre for Global Education and Comhlámh on 27 May 2026 titled “Pedagogical Responses to the Meta Crisis: The Role of Development Education”. It debated the content of Issue 42 of the journal Policy and Practice: A Development Education Review. The seminar speakers were: Katie Chapple, Gertrude Cotter and Brighid Golden and the chair was Bernie Grummell. The seminar was organised as part of a three-year Global Citizenship Education project funded by Irish Aid. The report is available athttps://www.centreforglobaleducation.com/sites/default/files/Pedagogical%20Seminar%20June%202026%20FINAL.pdf