WEBINAR: School Safety in the Context of Disaster Risk Reduction

Location: Webinar,   Start Date: 05 Dec 2019,   End Date: 05 Dec 2019

Speaker/s: Jair Torres, Organiser: GADRRRES
Watch the webinar recording:

Attendance 35 participants from 16 different countries.

Highlights

• School safety has strategically become embedded in the global agenda (Sustainable Development Goals, Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 and the Paris Climate Agreement)
• In the framework of the Decade on Education for Sustainable Development and the Hyogo Framework for Action, A Thematic Platform on Knowledge and Education (TPKE) was created in order to focus on the impact of hazards in the education sector. The premise was, there is not sustainable development without disaster risk reduction. Later on in 2007, during the Global Platform for DRR in Geneva, UN Member States requested TPKE to provide a methodology to assess school safety. This task resulted with the development of the
  Comprehensive School Safety Framework. Which is the technical document describing what school safety means in a holistic manner.
• The CSSF has three main pillars which are embedded within the education sector policies and plans, and harmonized with the national, regional and local strategies for DRR. The three pillars are:
  - Safe Learning Facilities
  - School Disaster Management
  - Risk Reduction and Resilience Education
• GADRRRES works on recommending a policy and enabling environment through the Worldwide Initiative for Safer Schools (WISS). This is aimed at creating a political commitment to safe schools globally.

Learning and Insights1. GADRRRES comprises members engaged in moving the school safety agenda in the context of DRR forward.
2. Working in a network requires coordination, strengthens our approach and reduces duplication.
3. Coordination allows for a better conversation and negotiation with local, regional and national governments, as well as with donors.
4. If your organisation has a mandate in both, education and DRR, and a regional or international scope, apply to be a GADRRRES member or a Regional member.
5. We can support you technically.

Resources and further reading

Comprehensive School Safety
World Initiative for Safe Schools
GADRRRES Guidance, tools, research and evidence
GADRRRES Newsletters
Safe Children, Safe School Community of Practice

Answers to participant questions

• Can organisations share case studies of the work they are doing on the GADRRRES website?
  Yes. Contributions are welcome and will go thru a research and publication review process ahead of uploading on the GADRRRES website.

• How do countries go about joining GADRRRES or WISS? 
  Countries would not join GADRRRES but WISS. Governments can apply either to the UNDRR or through GADRRRES. If this country belongs to a region where there is also a regional platform, we can put them in contact with the regional entity once they have applied.

• How much of ecosystem based DRR is included in the CSSF?
  Nature-based solutions are increasingly acknowledged as key aspects to sustain our natural environment and preserve biodiversity. The CSSF indirectly includes ecosystem based DRR. For instance, under Pillar 1, you can develop safety solutions for school infrastructure based on sustainable and resilient constructions; and under Pillar 3, nature-based solutions can also be included in curricula and extra-curricular activities.

FeedbackOf those who voted, 100% of participants either agreed or strongly agreed that the webinar was useful for their work. Of the 94% of those who voted for the second question, 82% were either satisfied or very satisfied with the webinar overall.