UNESCO Bangkok, Asia and Pacific UNESCO Bangkok, Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for EducationRegional Bureau for Education

Education for  Sustainable 

Development

Disaster Risk Reduction and Prevention in Education

Derek EliasChief of ESD unitUNESCO Bangkok

1

Global initiatives calling

for integrating

DRR into

Education

• Hyogo Framework for Action Priority 3 “Knowledge and Education”

• ISDR global campaign “Disaster Risk Reduction Begins at School”

• Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014)

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Why Disaster Risk Reduction in Education? -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Children are the most vulnerable group;There is a multiplier effect of educating the public through the children;Schools are often used as evacuation centres during a disaster event;Educational institutions are major public infrastructure, which can create long-lasting impact on future generations

Snapshots of UNESCO DRR activities in Asia-

Pacific region-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Major DRR products in 2004-2006

Natural Disaster Preparedness and Education for Sustainable Development Phase I & II

Bridging the Gap between the Rights and Needs of Indigenous Communities and the Management of Protected Areas

A Chapter with Tudor Rose RISK WISE, Education for Natural Disaster Preparedness in the Context of Education for Sustainable Development

The Urai Lawoi of the Adang Archipelago, Thailand.

Snapshots of UNESCO DRR activities in Asia-

Pacific region-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Major DRR products in 2004-2006

Understanding Landslide Hazards and Preparedness in Northern

Thailand

Disaster Master – Natural Disaster Preparedness Game

Presenter

Presentation Notes

Multiple Entry Points

…Leads to diverse range of UNESCO’s responses, partners, funds and opportunities across our sectors

Technical work and cultural sectors in Jakarta...Journalist training in Bangladesh…Education sector in China and Myanmar…

Snapshots of UNESCO DRR activities in Asia-

Pacific region-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Major DRR activities/events 2008-2010

Cyclone Nargis Humanitarian ResponseMyanmar Education Recovery Programme

(MERP)

UNESCO convenes Disaster Preparedness and Response Education Working Group, Myanmar (DPRE) 15 meetings in two years

DPRE consists of Department of Educational Planning and Training (DEPT), DBE (3), DBE (1) from MoE, Myanmar and ADPC, UNICEF, MRCS, FRC, Save the Children, Plan International, Action Aid, RCC and World Vision.

Snapshots of DRR activities in Asia-Pacific region-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Products of Myanmar Education Recovery Programme

(MERP)

DRR Resource Pack: 7 ModulesEnglish/Myanmar language

MERP activities

UNESCO Bangkok has successfully linked humanitarian interventions with longer term interventions centered around policy and system development as well as institution- and capacity building

Progress

The training has been provided to 2,102 principals and teachers in the 8 cyclone-affected townships.

The training had increased the teachers’ knowledge about DRR significantly as per findings from the statistical analysis.

It was reported that support for the training on how to use the DPRE resource pack is still needed and DPRE WG is planning to conduct training for teachers in August 2010 in four new townships: Kawhmu, Ma-u-bin, Myaunmya and Wa-ke-ma. --- so what?

Disaster Preparedness and Response Education Working Group, Myanmar (DPRE)

Integrating DRR concepts in formal School Curricula

DRR can be integrated as new modules/chapters in existing subjects or as a new subjectCurriculum framework plan to be developed – matrix of different subjects in each grade, content of each subject, identifying opportunities to integrate DRR in relevant subjects in specific gradesMOEs to take the lead in close partnership with other governmental counterpartsPartnership with development partners involved in education sector agenda of the country

Challenge …

How is this opportunity and demand to be structured? …..

We need a clearer internal UNESCO picture to make sense of the external reality…

DRR Education opens doors to the sector

Snapshots of UNESCO DRR activities in Asia-

Pacific region-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Major DRR activities/events 2007

Asia-Pacific Regional Workshop on Disaster Risk Reduction and School Education, 8-10 October 2007. Jointly initiative with UN/ISDR and UNICEF. 300 participants from governments, national institutes and NGOs.

Bangkok Action Agenda recognized by Asian Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Risk Reduction, Delhi.

Major DRR activities/events 2009-2010

Snapshots of UNESCO DRR activities in Asia-

Pacific region

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Ongoing Regional Thematic Working Group Education Cluster 2009 onwards

UNICEF, Save the Children-UK, Save the Children-Sweden, Plan International, USAID

IASC Ministry of Education Training, October 2009

Financial supported by UNICEF APSSC. Bangladesh, China, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

International Expert Meeting on Mainstreaming DRR and Climate Change in the context of ESD 2010

Financial supported by UNICEF APSSC and in collaboration with other UN agencies, World Bank, INGOs and NGOs.Cambodia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Nepal, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand

Contributions to and a place in Global Education Cluster

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Regional DRR Initiatives

RCM Working Group on Environment and Disaster Management with focus on CCA & DRR integration

ISDR Asia Partners (IAP) ESCAP ISDR joint initiatives on DRR & CCA

Third Asian Ministerial Conference on DRR, 2-4 December 2008Organized by the Government of Malaysia with the support of UN/ISDR

Political commitment: UNESCO has made DRR a focus of the UNDESD. UNESCO’s contribution to a disaster response, as a lead agency for the global EFA movement.

Coordination: UNESCO’s regional strategy for mainstreaming disaster risk reduction in the education sector.

Planning: UNESCO promotes good Education Sector Plans.

Delivery ? Products ? Impact ? Visibility ?

UNESCO Bangkok’s DRR priorities-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Key lessons learnt from UNESCO interventions in Asia-Pacific

The development of the education system to include and address the issue of disaster risk reduction and prevention can be initiated in the form of “upstream”

policy initiatives or “downstream” activities in classrooms, schools and communities.

Expectations are high in this region regarding the response

of the Education sector to disasters –

in both preparedness and response.

ESD Operational Definition

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) 

facilitates the degree to which an education system is 

prepared for, and is responsive to, existing and 

emerging challenges (to the relevance of education) 

(eg. Disasters).

• Growing recognition that preparedness is the key to effective and timely response.

• DRR is the glue that binds development and humanitarian work.

• This focus on preparedness has also included efforts at DRR through initiatives

such as school retrofitting

projects, learning about disasters, how to prepare for, prevent and/or mitigate them and school and community safety plans.

• The marriage of the Humanitarian Cluster Approach and the growing awareness of the importance of preparedness has led to the use of the Cluster as a critical preparedness mechanism.

DRR and Preparedness-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A question …

Does what UNESCO wants to do (SPO’s

5 and 14)

match with

what we say we will do (MLA’s)?

UNESCO should be strategically drivenand not seen as a library of disparate

resources borne of circumstance or expediency rather than necessity

a final word on DRR in Education -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------