France's interior minister has said he wants to work with the UK on migration but that talks need to be serious.

Gérald Darmanin made the comments at a meeting of European officials following the deaths of 27 people who drowned in the English Channel this week as they tried to cross from France to the UK

The UK's invitation to the meeting was halted in a diplomatic row with France.

Home Secretary Priti Patel described her absence at the meeting in Calais as "unfortunate".

But she says she is holding separate urgent talks with European ministers this week.

The UK's absence came after Emmanuel Macron reacted angrily to Boris Johnson's public call for France to take back migrants who reach the UK.

The French president accused the UK prime minister of showing a lack of seriousness by publishing the letter on Twitter.

The UK government insisted that the letter was sincere and urged France to reconsider its invitation, with Mr Johnson saying: "This is a problem we have to fix together."

Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Germany and the European Commission attended the talks in Calais, which Mr Macron set up to deal with the recent surge in migrant crossings of the Channel.

The sinking of an inflatable boat last Wednesday marked the biggest loss of life by drowning in the Channel in many years, with 17 men, seven women - one of whom was pregnant - and three children dying.

Many of the victims came from Iraqi Kurdistan. They include Maryam Nuri Mohamed Amin, the first to be named, who was trying to join her fiance in the UK.

Speaking at the start of the meeting, Mr Darmanin said he wanted to work with the UK to deal with the crisis.

"Britain left Europe, but not the World. We need to work seriously on these questions... without being held hostage by domestic British politics," he said.

The interior minister added that there had been too many deaths and "we cannot accept that any more people die".

But he also argued that the UK had to assume responsibility by making itself less economically attractive for illegal migrants.

In the few studies that exist, family ties have been identified as the main reason migrants wish to travel from France to the UK. Immigration expert Marley Morris told the BBC the UK had introduced policies that make it much harder to work illegally.

Why Iraqi Kurds risk their lives to reach the West

Calais activists: Migrants call us from boats asking for help

Officials at Sunday's meeting agreed that Frontex, the European border agency, would send a plane to help combat migrant trafficking in the Channel from Wednesday.

EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson said the criminal groups organising the trips were acting "more or less on an industrial scale".

"That's why it's so important to have an even closer police cooperation with the help and support from Europol," she said.

Channel migrants: France wants 'serious' talks with UK

The new coronavirus variant Omicron has been detected in 13 people who arrived in the Dutch capital Amsterdam on two flights from South Africa.

They are among 61 passengers who tested positive for coronavirus.

It comes as tighter restrictions come into force in the Netherlands, amid record Covid cases and concerns over the new variant.

This includes early closing times for hospitality and cultural venues, and limits on home gatherings.

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Omicron was first reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) by South Africa on Wednesday, and early evidence suggests it has a higher re-infection risk. It has been categorised by the WHO as a "variant of concern".

But after many countries around the world restrict travel from southern African countries over the variant, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called for the bans to be urgently lifted.

In an address to the nation on Sunday he said the moves were unjustified and not based on science.

The Dutch National Institute for Public Health announced the 13 Omicron cases on Sunday, but noted that its investigation had "not yet been completed", meaning the new variant could still be found in more test samples.

Dutch Health Minister Hugo de Jonge made an "urgent request" for people who have returned from southern Africa to get tested for Covid "as soon as possible".

"It is not unthinkable that there are more cases in the Netherlands," he told reporters.

Cases of the heavily mutated variant have now been reported in a number of countries around the world, including several in Europe, such as the UK, Germany and Italy.

ANALYSIS: How worrying is the new Covid variant?
BACKGROUND: Covid variants: Do we need new vaccines?
FEATURE: South Africans fear impact of new variant measures
The flights by Dutch national carrier KLM from Johannesburg arrived on Friday morning. The 600 passengers on board were held for several hours after arriving while they were tested for the virus.

New York Times correspondent Stephanie Nolen, who was on one of the flights, tweeted that the passengers were not even brought water while they remained on the plane.

Passengers travelling from South Africa to the UK via Amsterdam told the BBC that they were held on the tarmac at Schiphol airport for four hours, before eventually disembarking.

The passengers who were confirmed to have Covid-19 have since been quarantined at a hotel near Schiphol airport.

Those that tested negative have been asked to isolate at home for five days and take further tests. Officials said those in transit would be allowed to continue their journeys, though there were reports on Saturday that some passengers had not received written proof of a negative test and were therefore unable to board onward flights.

Dutch health authorities were also trying to contact and test thousands of other passengers who had travelled from seven southern African countries - South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia or Zimbabwe - since Monday.

The Netherlands is one of many countries around the world to have now imposed travel restrictions on countries in southern Africa in response to the new variant.

Some have also gone further, with Israel set to bar entry to all foreign nationals and Morocco banning all inbound international flights for two weeks from

The new coronavirus variant Omicron has been detected in 13 people who arrived in the Dutch capital Amsterdam on two flights from South Africa.

Covid: 13 test positive for Omicron after S Africa-Netherlands flights

“Where are the girls?” It’s a question that is asked too much when stepping into classrooms around the world. And the further up the school years we go, the more the question bounces around an echo chamber.

Massive strides have been made in girls’ education. Between 1995 and 2018, 

 in primary and secondary school globally. However, a learning crisis persists – and COVID-19’s impact risks reversing these gains. While the global learning crisis highlights deficient quality in education systems around the world, it goes much deeper for girls. Girls face multiple vulnerabilities that inhibit their ability to access a basic education: risk of child marriage, early pregnancy, gender-based violence, female genital mutilation, sexual exploitation and child labour.

All these barriers are heightened during crises. Indeed, previous emergencies suggest that girls are at elevated risk of dropping out of school. For example, teenage pregnancies increased during the Ebola crisis, with a 

 undergoing first-time pregnancy during the outbreak.

Life does not freeze during a pandemic. Some children have benefited from digital learning modalities, while others have had all learning opportunities removed. Girls in particular face more pressure than boys to prioritize household chores and family care. And the fact is, even temporary lack of access makes it difficult to re-enter education. School closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic could drive 

20 million more secondary school-aged girls

 out of school after the crisis has passed around the world. Already, there are indications of a gender gap in re-enrolment. For example, in Kenya, only 84 per cent of adolescent girls have re-enrolled compared to 

As schools reopen, education systems in many countries may once again have to ask the question.

It does not have to be this way. We know what to do to ensure every girl’s right to education is realized. But it will require a concerted effort and considerable resources to 

© UNICEF/UN0392575/KolariAnjali Dodiyar Meena (15), a 9th class student studying at home. No one is her family has a smart phone, due to which she could not attend online classes during the COVID-19 lockdown. But Anjali is not letting this stop her from studying; she’s working hard to catch up with the rest of her classmates with the help from her teachers and sister.

Education systems need support to be more gender-responsive and prioritize girls’ safety, protection, and learning. Every reopening and recovery plan must apply an equity and inclusion lens. We need to ask not just what children need to re-engage in education, but specifically, what do girls need? How do we bring the learning environment to the most marginalized child? What options are there for affordable distance learning? What incentivizes their return to the classroom? How do we mobilize communities and parents to help them understand the value of educating their girls – and then support them to make that happen? How do we increase investments?

If we can ask these questions from the beginning of the recovery process, we can not only bring girls who had previously attended school back in, but also support previously out-of-school girls to enrol and stay in schools.

It is also paramount for girls to develop secondary-level knowledge and skills and become equipped to transition to further education and/or work. Secondary education has a positive effect on cognitive skills, which correlates strongly with 

, poverty reduction, and reduced fertility 

. It can also protect them from early marriage and sexual exploitation.

Work to help boost girls as schools reopen is already underway with several countries blazing a trail.

 When COVID-19 shuttered schools throughout the country, UNICEF worked with the Government on distance learning radio programmes, including gender-responsive lessons in STEM, for students from 

kindergarten through to junior high school

: UNICEF and the Government have undertaken a comprehensive Back-to-School campaign and catch-up programmes that focus on skills-development for 

: UNICEF is collaborating with the Government and Microsoft on the 

, an innovative global platform that provides flexible online and offline gender-responsive content in multiple languages.

UNICEF is also advising government policy and influencing strategies through several tools – such as the 

Reimagining Girls’ Education: Solutions to Keep Girls Learning in Emergencies

 – which enrich national action with global experience, and the 

 initiative that engages girls as partners to design and deliver solutions. For this crisis, UNICEF has shared the 

Building Back Equal: Girls back to school guide

, which has key strategies that can help to make education reopening and recovery gender-responsive and protective for all children.

Revolutionizing education systems for girls will require strong leadership and bold actions such as the recent 

. We have the commitments; we have the tools. We know why girls face barriers to education and why they should be able to participate in 12 years of education. And we know the numbers. Where are the girls? They’re here, ready to learn. Let’s make it happen.

Wongani Grace Taulo is Senior Education Advisor, UNICEF.

Omar Robles is Gender Programme Specialist, UNICEF.

 “Where are the girls?” It’s a question that is asked too much when stepping into classrooms around the world. And the further up the school years we go, the more the question bounces around an echo chamber.

Where are the girls and why it matters as schools reopen?

Play is key for child development and the mental health of children and caregivers.

Play is an essential part of development in the early years. Play is the way young children from birth to three learn, as they explore and begin to make sense of the world around them. 

 shows that play supports many interrelated facets of development including cognitive, physical, social, emotional and language development in young children, setting the foundation on which new learning builds throughout a child’s life. Through play, young children develop social connections, which help regulate emotions, enhance self-esteem and empathy, and even improve the 

! Playful interactions with parents help children 

, including how to manage their emotions and be in relationship with others – important for future emotional health and lifelong skills development.

 also shows that playful interactions with young children contributes to parental well-being and positive mental health. This is key, as we know that 

 is an essential driver of optimal child development. Parents who struggle with their own mental health tend to be less responsive to their children’s cues and might find it difficult to provide nurturing and responsive care. When parents engage in meaningful play with their children, they are not only supporting their child’s development but also improving their own emotional well-being. A 

 in Pakistan found that mothers who engaged in a parent-child play activity with their children over a 10-week period had a decline in depressive symptoms.

This evidence doesn’t just come from research studies – parents themselves report that playing with their children makes them feel good. In 2018 the 

 found that 9 in 10 parents say play is fundamental to their own happiness and makes them feel more relaxed, energized, and creative. It also found that play has 

, with ninety percent of parents saying play strengthens family relationships and helps them get to know their children better.

Now, more than ever, we must leverage the power of play to promote parental mental health and child development

©UNICEF/2604/KragujevacA home-visiting nurse uses the 

 approach in Serbia as part of the UNICEF-LEGO Foundation Playful Parenting programme

For many caregivers, playful interactions with children have never been more important than in the current moment when both child development and parental mental health and well-being are at risk given the consequences of global COVID-19 pandemic. Because of the pandemic, parents and caregivers have had to manage increased financial, personal, and professional stressors. It has become clear that the stressors of the pandemic, coupled with social isolation, have had a negative effect on the mental health and wellbeing of parents as they try to navigate a new ‘normal’ for themselves and their families.

While it may seem difficult to find the time or energy for engaging in playful experiences, here are the ways that just a little play time can support well-being and development:

Firstly, as parents contend with the multiple challenges they are facing during the pandemic, engaging in meaningful play activities with their children can 

improve their mental health and well-being.

 It’s true that during stressful periods, it can be hard to feel like playing, or prioritize the time for play. However it is during these times that play is most needed. Singing, dancing, and playing games together are good stress relievers, and are a great way for both children and caregivers alike to have fun even in the midst of stressful situations.

strengthen positive parent-child interactions

, which are key for young children’s development. This is particularly important in light of lockdowns and childcare closures which have left children isolated from their friends and peers. As 

, parents can continue to provide opportunities for early learning and social connection even while at home. Play also 

 for children and caregivers alike. By playing with their parents, children can learn they are loved, important and fun to be around. By playing with their children, parents can have fun, and be reminded of their unique ability to provide their children with comfort, connection, and love. Even in stressful times, these 

 can lay a foundation for social-emotional skills development and mental health that will last into the future.

Finally, as the COVID-19 pandemic enters its eighteenth month, play is also an important way of 

protecting children from the negative impacts of prolonged exposure to stress

. The Harvard Centre for the Developing Child considers exposure to prolonged adversity a source of 

, which can have serious negative impacts on both physical and mental health across the lifespan. Supportive, stable relationships with adults can buffer children from stress and protect their development, even in adversity.

As part of its current partnership, UNICEF and the LEGO Foundation have developed the Playful Parenting and Responding to the Crisis of Care and Learning programmes. These programmes support countries around the world to improve the capacity of frontline workers and provide timely support and information in order to promote the mental health and emotional well-being of parents so they can provide nurturing care and engage in playful interactions with their young children.

As part of this initiative, a new training package for frontline workers called 

 has been created, in collaboration with the University of the Witwatersrand and Harvard University. It is being validated in eight countries and will be ready for global roll-out in the second part of 2021.

The CFC approach uses activity-based learning to promote emotional awareness and self-care, encourage partner and family support, develop strategies to deal with conflict, and learn problem-solving skills, particularly in contexts of high levels of adversity.

“I was stressed, but thanks to the community health worker’s advice … I have mental stability … my child is becoming more and more open to interacting, which brings me joy.” – Mother, Koutiala Cercle Nutrition support, Pilot of Caring for the Caregivers, Mali 2018

As illustrated below, play is a core element of the approach:

Risk of depression, anxiety, loneliness, and thoughts of self-harm may be elevated for caregivers during the pandemic, especially for those with pre-existing problems. Engaging in fun activities and play can trigger the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals!

Families that regularly interact with each other in positive, playful ways can build strong bonds that can help them deal with and diffuse conflict when it arises within the family. This is especially important during the pandemic, when 

violence against both caregivers and children

Strengthening interactions and relationships

As part of its “connect” component, CFC uses play to strengthen the quality of child-caregiver interactions and relationships, which in turn helps both to strengthen their resiliency and coping skills and foster optimal child development.

CFC helps families create a nurturing environment where children and family members engage in learning though play as part of regular everyday activities while also encouraging a balanced sharing of caregiving and domestic responsibilities among caregivers.

When the pandemic began in early 2020, there was an immediate need for messages, activities, and strategies to support caregiver mental health. To meet this need, a new guide, entitled

Caring for the Caregiver during the COVID-19 Crisis

, provides evidence-based messages, practical guidance, case studies and resources that can be used to promote parents’ and caregivers’ mental health during the COVID-19 crisis and recovery period.

The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly left a mark on every parent, and the Caring for the Caregiver program has come at the right moment. As the trusted professionals and friend of the family, we can learn about the mental health needs of the family and provide first line listening support and advice. – Home visiting nurse, Novi Sad, Serbia

There is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging for parents and children alike. UNICEF and the LEGO Foundation remain committed to continue to support parents and children during the crisis to ensure that this generation of young children not only survive but also thrive.

Play is an essential part of development in the early years. Play is the way young children from birth to three  learn, as they  explore and begin to make sense of the world around them. Research shows that play supports many interrelated facets of development including cognitive, physical, social, emotional and language development in young children, setting the foundation on which new learning builds  throughout a child’s life.

The power of play in the pandemic

There are at least five immediate and devastating consequences of COVID-19 on education that require collective action: Firstly, we have seen progress on out-of-school children reverse, while the pre-existing global learning crisis is at risk of becoming a catastrophe. Meanwhile, vulnerable children, especially girls are quickly losing the protection that schools and learning offers to their well-being and life chances. At the same time, growing poverty alongside unemployment will widen education inequality, while international, domestic and household expenditure on education is shrinking.

What started as a health crisis has turned into an economic one that is set to cause an inter-generational education crisis.

Even before COVID-19, the global education sector agreed on the critical need to align partners around a common purpose and actions to transform national education systems. This is urgent now more so than ever.

It’s time to confront stubborn country coordination challenges

 by Member States and partners reconfirms a shared commitment to accelerate progress towards 

 by offering “greater policy leadership, better synergies, greater efficiency and improved delivery in global and regional cooperation”. The next important step is collective and coordinated action by all partners to translate this commitment into action at global, regional and, critically, at country levels in the best interest of children. A frank conversation on the stubborn problems confronting country coordination and possible solutions is timely.

The centrality of national leadership to effectively transform education systems, consistent with the 

, has been confirmed and reconfirmed many times. Even so, distinct ‘supplementary’ and ad-hoc processes, often in response to demands by global stakeholders, donors and supporters, continue to cause issues.

Education systems are seeing significant inefficiencies that compromise on quality and coherence of national plans and processes. This risks 

skewing national capacities and diluting national duty bearers’ accountabilities

Many of the ad-hoc or supplementary coordinated processes target a specific group of children or are related to a source of external funding. These processes are often complex, duplicative, and even contradictory when it comes to prioritization. Coordination is further compartmentalized by development, humanitarian and refugee mandates.

With a global coordination system in place and repeated calls to reduce transaction costs, all stakeholders must support and adhere to a national coordination process, led by governments. At the country level, the local education group is oftentimes the 

key entity bringing together relevant partners

 to support agreed objectives that align with a National Education Sector Plan from its inception to implementation, monitoring, review and revision. Such alignment boosts everyone’s effectiveness and efficiency, while maximizing the impact of resource allocation and mobilization. During this extraordinary time, when all national budgets are under pressure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this becomes critical.

Global stakeholders with specific interests or requirements should leverage national planning, monitoring and review processes, and select the specific components that align with their priorities. The globally agreed standards and principles should form the basis of global advocacy and engagement with national stakeholders. With everyone ‘pulling in the same direction’, the above-mentioned challenges and inefficiencies can be avoided. Distinct processes can be replaced by collective engagement and support to ensure that national plans and processes adhere to agreed standards of quality and inclusiveness.

Effective country coordination also requires time and capacity dedicated to supporting governments in their leadership role. This means support to set up business processes, develop tools, as well as training and knowledge management systems. It also means rallying and marshalling other local and international actors towards a shared understanding and implementation of a cohesive country coordination mechanism, which also spans the refugee-humanitarian-development nexus. This needs trusted partners with extensive and credible capacity, in-country presence, coordination capacity, the ability to innovate, advocate and communicate effectively, strong monitoring, evaluation, and research capacity, and the proficiency to unlock bottlenecks among partners when they inevitably arise.

© UNICEF/UN0425441/DejonghChildren attending classes at the primary school of Gado Badzere, in the East of Cameroon.
For every child education.

UNICEF continues to work with governments and partners to tailor solutions for their local contexts through 

its mission to act in the interest of the child

. With our long-standing engagement in education across the refugee-humanitarian-development area; 900 education staff situated in over 150 programme countries; expertise in risk-informed programming and contingency planning; commitment to innovation in education and 

 to ensure effective leadership and coordination in education response, governments should be assured that UNICEF remains one of those trusted partners.

Robert Jenkins is UNICEF’s Global Director for Education

Saadhna Panday-Soobrayan is the lead on UNICEF’s global education partnerships

Nicolas Reuge is a Senior Education Advisor focusing on sector planning, innovation, data and evidence for results

Linda Jones is a Senior Education Advisor focusing on education in emergencies

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Channel migrants: France wants 'serious' talks with UK

Covid: 13 test positive for Omicron after S Africa-Netherlands flights

Where are the girls and why it matters as schools reopen?

The power of play in the pandemic

Global education calls for effective leadership and coordination now more than ever