WORKING SESSION
Commitments to Safe Schools
Brief Concept Note
Brief
1. Why is this topic important?
The devastating impact of disasters on school infrastructure, children’s access to continuous education and the education system overall, coupled with the recognition of the potential of education to prevent and reduce risk has led to a mobilization of governments to recognize safe schools as a moral imperative and priority area as part of the post-2015 framework for disaster risk reduction.
A number of countries indicate safe school facilities as a priority at the national level[1]. The 2009 and 2011 Global Platforms for Disaster Risk Reduction urged Governments to assess the safety of most vulnerable schools. A number of pledges for safe schools were also received from Governments, schools, local authorities and individuals through the One Million Safe Schools and Hospitals Initiative[2]. Further momentum was secured from a number of cases where existing safe schools made an important difference in saving lives during intensive disasters, such as the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in March 2011.
The aim is for all investments in the education system to be resilient and sustainable. To this end, a group of governments are prioritizing a global partnership for safe schools (rather than individual isolated initiatives) and a comprehensive approach to safe schools that addresses the three pillars of school safety[3]: safe learning facilities, school disaster management, and risk reduction and resilience education.
The Worldwide Initiative for Safe Schools (WISS), is a government-led multi-stakeholder initiative that serves as a unique global partnership framework for advancing safe school implementation at the national level[4]. The Government of Turkey hosted a first meeting of Safe School Leaders (30-31 October 2014 in Istanbul) during which 16 governments committed to implement the Worldwide Initiative for Safe Schools. Further efforts are being undertaken to build momentum and motivate more countries to contribute to making every new school safe in the context of a post-2015 framework for disaster risk reduction.
2. What gaps need to be filled?
· Further efforts are still required to ensure that pledges received for safe school as part of the One Million Safe Schools and Hospitals Initiative are duly translated into concrete actions.
· A tracking system is required to monitor the progress in implementing safe schools globally and is being implemented in the context of the Global Alliance for Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience in the Education Sector[5].
· A more systematic and predictable allocation of resources and budget from donors and governments is required to advance the safe schools agenda at the national level.
· School safety assessments are not systematically integrated and implemented as part of school plans. Though several examples of successful safe school assessment methodologies exist[6], there is no commonly agreed or standardized assessment methodologies to monitor progress among countries.
· There is a recognition that diverse levels of progress and success were made by countries in implementing selected pillars of the comprehensive school safety framework. Many countries have incorporated disaster risk reduction into the curriculum. A good number have assessed school facilities and taken appropriate remedy action (retrofitting, demolition, new school construction), and others have increased preparedness actions at school level. Still, too few are implementing a holistic approach of school safety like the three pillars of school safety.[7].
· There is no predictable capacity at the global level for governments and technical partners to draw upon for safe schools implementation.
· A cost-benefit analysis of safe school work iis required as a tool to help raise awareness and guide appropriate investments and budgetary allocations for safe school implementation.
3. What (new) commitments are expected to be achieved ?
· Governments’ commitment to the Worldwide Initiative for Safe Schools and its implementation roadmap, in particular to:
a. scale up safe school implementation and related budgetary allocations at the domestic level (including national and local levels),
b. provide technical assistance to countries with less resources and capacity
c. advocate for political commitment to safe school implementation globally.
· Partners’ commitment to provide technical assistance to governments requesting support in areas linked to the three key pillars of school safety, including through regional constituencies.
· Private sector and donors’ commitments to build a predictable financial basis to support the implementation of the Worldwide Initiative for Safe Schools at the national and local levels in selected vulnerable countries.
· Civil society commitments to contribute to safe school assessment, implementation and awareness-raising, in particular through children and youth, teachers, school principals, women’s groups, community leaders and NGOs.
Concept Note
Schedule / Saturday 14 March 2015, 16:30-18:00Room and Venue / Main Hall, Sendai International Conference Centre
Organizing Team / Global Alliance for Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience in the Education Sector, UNU, Japan, Turkey
UNISDR Focal Points / Christel Rose ()
Background and Rationale / · The 2009 Global Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction encouraged Governments to undertake national assessments of the safety of existing education and health facilities by 2011, and to develop and implement concrete action plans for safer schools and hospitals in all disaster prone countries by 2015. A range of valuable initiatives and tools for school safety were developed since then by a number of partners.
· In 2011, several hundreds of children from 21 countries identified comprehensive school safety as their first priority in the Children’s Charter for disaster risk reduction.
· The 2013 Global Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction recommended to “Start a global safe schools and safe health structures campaign in disaster-prone areas with voluntary funding and commitments to be announced at the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in 2015.
· A Worldwide Initiative for Safe Schools was therefore developed under governments’ leadership and the Global Alliance for Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience in the Education Sector. The initiative aims at promoting national level commitment, action and implementation in the area of safe school and at proposing technical support to Governments through a unique global partnership initiative. A number of governments have expressed interest and commitment to the initiative and to safe school implementation at the national level.
· Turkey hosted the first meeting of Safe School Leaders in Istanbul 30-31 October 2014. 17 countries committed to implement the Worldwide Initiative for Safe Schools (WISS) and become Safe School Leaders. They jointly identified key elements for an “Istanbul Roadmap to the Worldwide Initiative for Safe Schools” that will be further discussed and agreed upon on the occasion of the second meeting of Safe School Leaders.
Session Objectives / The session will:
· Announce commitments to the Worldwide Initiative for Safe Schools(WISS).
· Confirm an implementation plan to the WISS Roadmap with timeframe, indicators and agreed partnership for technical assistance.
· Highlight particular successes on safe schools implementation and innovative partnerships and approaches to safe schools for further replication or scaling up.
Discussion agenda and structure / 1. Introduction and welcoming remarks (5mns)
2. Keynote address (10mns)
3. First Panel: Governments’ commitments to WISS (30 mns)
· Announcement of commitments by selected Ministries of Education / Planning of Safe School Leader countries
· Successful country cases of safe school implementation and innovative partnerships on safe school initiatives
4. Second panel: other commitments to WISS
· Presentation of the WISS Roadmap and implementation plan (5mns)
· Technical support package by the Global Alliance for Disaster Risk Reduction Education and Resilience in the Education sector, including a Safe school implementation global tracking and monitoring system
· Other stakeholders’ commitment to safe school implementation: donors, private sector , regional constituencies, local communities.
5. Wrap-up and concluding remarks by the moderator (5 minutes)
Expected outcomes / · Formal governments’ commitments to safe school implementation based on the Worldwide Initiative for Safe Schools’ holistic approach.
· Commitment from technical partners to support national level action on safe schools
· Elements of good practices on school safety deriving from the case studies presented.
· Endorsed implementation plan of the Worldwide Initiative for Safe Schools Roadmap.
Commitment / special announcement in support of a post-2015 framework for DRR / · Formal governments’ commitments to safe school implementation at the domestic and global levels.
· Commitment from technical partners to support national, regional, local and community level actions on safe schools.
· Other stakeholders’ in-principle support to the Worldwide Initiative for Safe Schools implementation globally, in particular from the donor community, the private sector, regional bodies and local communities.
Expected number of participants / 300-500
Background documents / · Worldwide Initiative for Safe Schools
· Comprehensive School Safety Framework
· Baseline Report on School Safety
· DRR integration in school curriculum – Cases from thirty countries.
· Voluntary commitments on safe school
· Children’s Charter for Disaster Risk Reduction
1
[1] Including through commitments made during the ISDR Global Platforms for Disaster Risk Reduction, 2009 and 2011
[2] See details on the One Million Safe Schools and Hospitals Initiative at http://www.safe-schools-hospitals.net/en/Home.aspx
[3] Ref. Comprehensive School Safety Framework (http://www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/SC/pdf/Comprehensive_school_safety.pdf)
[4] See details on the Worldwide Initiative for Safe Schools at http://www.wcdrr.org/safeschools
[5] Visit www.gadrrres.org
[6] See Global Baseline Report on Safe Schools Assessment http://www.unisdr.org/files/35274_2012schoolsafetyglobalbaseline.pdf
[7] As per the Worldwide Initiative for Safe Schools and the Comprehensive School Safety Framework, a school is considered safe if it combines aspects of safe learning facilities, school disaster management, and risk reduction and resilience education.