Blog report from Nairobi Conference | Petition Submission in January 2026 (31 Dec Update)

Thank you for joining the call for Japan to endorse the Safe Schools Declaration.
Nearly 1,500 people newly added their names to the Campaign in the past month, and we now have 17,259 people signed onto this petition via Change-org (17,082 people) and child-friendly website “Compass for Tomorrow” (177 people).

◆ BLOG: Day-1 Report from the Nairobi Conference

Our blog is out for your read, reporting on Day-1 of the 5th International Conference on Safe Schools Declaration held in Nairobi, Kenya last month in November 2025.

[Blog] We attended the Nairobi SSD-5 International Conference: Day-1 Report

With the Declaration marking the 10th anniversary since its introduction for endorsement in 2015, the Nairobi Conference focused on the importance of accountability—of advancing the monitoring and reporting of attacks on education, and of utilising quality data to prevent attacks, to support survivors and communities, and to hold perpetrators responsible.

The Safe Schools Declaration is now endorsed by 122 countries, and most UN agencies such as the UN Security Council, as well as regional bodies including NATO, the European Union, and the African Union support the Declaration. Throughout the two-day programme, the Conference emphasised the importance of further incorporating the Declaration within existing international frameworks, and reflected the growing mainstreaming of the principle that schools and universities must not be attacked or used for military purposes.

Please take your time to read the blog report, and help disseminate the global effort to protect education in armed conflict. (Day-2 report will also be released shortly.)

◆ January 2026: We will deliver the signatures to the Japan Government!

This January 2026, we will compile all your signatures and messages calling for Japan to endorse the Safe Schools Declaration, and deliver them to Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defense. We welcome all additional signatures before we conclude our call for this online petition.

The SSD Japan Campaign is accepting signatures via two platforms: Change.org and the child-friendly website “Compass for Tomorrow.” Following are some of the messages from signatories to date.

＜Messages from Signatories＞

We high school students are studying hard for our future. And the same is true for all other students around the world. Please do not take away children's futures for military purposes. (Tokyo, 15 years old)

I feel extremely anxious for the future, and I want Japan to be a trustworthy country where people can remain hopeful. (Miyagi Prefecture, 40’s)

Learning is a fundamental human right that should be guaranteed for all children, and I believe it is also a crucial step towards building a peaceful future. I’d like the Japanese government to endorse the Safe Schools Declaration, to ensure every child's right to learn. (Kanagawa Prefecture, 20’s)

We want to see policymakers working earnestly to protect children's lives and their right to learn. (Okinawa Prefecture, 60’s)

As a former teacher, I sincerely hope this policy ask is realised. (Nara Prefecture, 80’s)

I am a student. To further enhance the safety of our educational spaces, I hope the Japanese government endorses the Safe Schools Declaration. (Ishikawa Prefecture, 17 years old)

Once again, we are sincerely grateful for your ongoing support in protecting education in armed conflict. 

The SSD Japan Campaign
(Secretariat: Save the Children)