Disaster Risk Management Education Sector Latin America and the Caribbean

The Group for the Management of Disaster Risk in the Education Sector in Latin America and the Caribbean has established its mission to improve the impact of disaster risk reduction and emergency response actions in the education sector in Latin America and the Caribbean under a rights-based approach. This approach is seeking to be a dynamic, innovative, timely and relevant inter-agency platform that supports this sector in a neutral, impartial and humanitarian way in reducing vulnerability and increasing resilience to disasters, being consistent with the needs and realities of people, communities and their countries.

Objectives

To promote research, collection, systematization, analysis and exchange of information for the establishment of evidence of both the impact of disasters on the education sector and the advances of the sector in disaster risk reduction and education in emergencies.

To promote the development and strengthening of capacities and competencies in disaster risk reduction, as well as in the preparation and response to emergencies in the education sector of the Latin American and Caribbean countries – including both educational communities and decision makers, a culture of disaster prevention, resilience and responsible citizenship in this sector.

To foster the implementation of actions in the education sector according to the needs identified at the regional, national and local levels based on the work plan of the Global Education Cluster, REDLAC, the Sendai Framework and the Worldwide Initiative for Safe Schools Initiative (WISS).

To demonstrate the importance of education as a fundamental part of the humanitarian response as a factor that, besides to provide information, knowledge, skills and tools to deal with the disasters and save lives, it also provides protective spaces that enable the realization of other fundamental rights of children, adolescents and young people.

To ensure that the proposed actions incorporate a rights-based approach that considers the characteristics and needs of various differential groups such as women, persons with disabilities, early childhood, childhood, adolescence, youth, older adults, ethnic groups, as well as the consideration of substantial issues such as social risks, gender-based violence, HIV, environment, among others that are identified as substantial for the region.

The Group for the Management of Disaster Risk in the Education Sector in Latin America and the Caribbean endorses the Comprehensive School Safety Framework.

Information on each component of the CSS Framework and key documents in Spanish can be found below:

Enabling Structure - Sectoral policies and plans

Pillar 1 - Safe Learning Facilities

Pillar 2 - School Disaster Management

Pillar 3 - Risk Reduction and Resilience Education

For more information, download the brochure or visit the Group’s website.

The Group for the Management of Disaster Risk in the Education Sector in Latin America and the Caribbean is formed by the representations of the following organizations for this region and is co-led by UNICEF and Save the Children:

For updates on The Group for the Management of Disaster Risk in the Education Sector in Latin America and the Caribbean, follow them on Facebook and Twitter (@GRDeducacionLAC).

For more information, please contact Ruth Custode at r.custode@unicef.org or Sergio Garcia de Diego at sergio.garciadediego@savethechildren.org