Disaster risk reduction, climate change and education
The occurrence of disasters is a significant concern for the education sector, considering their ever-increasing intensity and frequency, and the severity of their impacts on access to continuous inclusive, quality and safe education for vulnerable communities. Between 2000 and 2019, at least 60 major disasters disrupted education for more than 11 million children; within this timeframe, nearly 35,000 children lost their lives in schools and over 30,000 schools were destroyed (GADRRRES, 2022).
In addition, the number of medium- to large-scale disasters is projected to increase from 350 and 500 annually to 560 – 1.5 each day – by 2030 (UNDRR, 2022). This is of particular concern in the light of the climate crisis. Each year breaks climate records, with the past seven years (2015 to 2021) having been the warmest years ever recorded (WMO, 2022).
In this context, UNESCO gives priority to Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and resilience in the education sector, following an all-hazard, all-risk approach.
What UNESCO does?
UNESCO has long identified the need to reduce the risks posed by natural hazards to the education sector, such as through seminal research back in 1982, covering DRR and schools as it relates to earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, cyclones/hurricanes and flooding. However, UNESCO’s work on DRR & Education has significantly increased from the 2000s onwards, especially in the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami and subsequent disasters in Pakistan, Myanmar, Haiti and Nepal.
The Comprehensive School Safety Framework (CSSF)
Since 2012, UNESCO has been co-chairing the Global Alliance for Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience in the Education Sector (GADRRRES), which is advocating for comprehensive school safety through the Comprehensive School Safety Framework 2022-2030.
The CSSF has four key components, including a cross-cutting foundation and three intersecting pillars:
- Foundation: Enabling systems and policies
- Pillar 1: Safer learning facilities
- Pillar 2: School safety and educational continuity management
- Pillar 3: Risk reduction and resilience education
In 2022, a milestone event was the launch of a 3-year project funded by the Adaptation Fund, which will contribute to implementing the CSSF in Haiti. The project, entitled Implementing measures for climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction mitigation of school facilities in Haiti, is executed by UNESCO in collaboration with the Government of the Republic of Haiti and other partners.
How are UNESCO Institutes and Chairs involved?
Several UNESCO Category I Institutes and Chairs focus on DRR and education. These include:
- UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning (UNESCO-IIEP) contributes to strengthening UNESCO Member States’ capacities for crisis-sensitive planning through technical cooperation, training, and research.
- UNESCO Chair on Intersectoral Safety for Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience (UniUD-SPRINT), SPRINT-Lab, University of Udine, Italy
- UNESCO Chair on Disaster Risk Reduction & Resilience Engineering (UCL-EPICentre), EPICentre, University College London, United Kingdom