Nicosia, February 11, 2026

 

Το:

H.E. Cyprus Ambassador Maria Michail,

Cyprus Permanent Mission to the UN <unmission@mfa.gov.cy >

 

Copy to:

Educational International  < headoffice@ei-ie.org >

UNICEF Syria Country Office < syria@unicef.org >

Syria office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights < syria@ohchr.org >

Minister of Foreign Affairs < information@unicef.org >

 

Subject: Urgent Call to Protect Teachers, Students, and Education in Northeast Syria

 

Dear Ambassador Michail,

 

We write on behalf of POED, a member of Education International, to express our deep alarm at the escalating violence in Northeast Syria and its devastating impact on teachers, students, unionists and the region’s public education system.

 

We draw particular attention to the Union of Teachers of North and East Syria (UTNES), representing more than 40,000 educators, and to the pluralistic and inclusive education system, built during more than a decade of conflict, that has enabled children from Kurdish, Arabic, Syriac, Armenian, and other communities to learn in their mother tongues and participate in democratic, gender equitable, community rooted education.

 

Today, this system faces an immediate and existential threat. Military advances and political pressure are placing Kurdish administered regions under siege, leading to school closures, forced displacement of educators, and the dismantling of union and community education structures. There is a grave risk that this public, inclusive, and secular system will be replaced by authoritarian or religiously imposed models that undermine academic freedom, gender equality, and the rights of teachers and students.

 

We therefore urge Cyprus to take immediate steps to:

• -End the war and attacks against the Kurdish population and to safeguard democratic and minority rights in Syria.
• -Call for the protection of teachers, students, and educational institutions in Northeast Syria, in line with international humanitarian law.
• -Support the right to inclusive, mother tongue, secular public education for all communities in the region.
• -Condemn any forced restructuring of education systems that restricts linguistic rights, union autonomy, gender equality, or pedagogical freedom.
• -Encourage international monitoring and diplomatic engagement to ensure that education remains a protected and essential component of any political or post-conflict settlement.

 

The educators of Northeast Syria have shown extraordinary courage and commitment in building an education system under conditions of war, displacement, and blockade. Their work deserves protection and support.

 

 

We urge you to act without delay.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

                        The President                                                    The General Secretary

 

                       Myria Vasileiou                                                    Charis Charalambous