Overview:
Asia-Pacific Coalition for School Safety (APCSS) calls for the engagement of more partners to join ASEAN Safe School Initiative (ASSI) in South-East Asia to accelerate and upscale the initiative and make it as effective as possible. It hopes that coordination at national and regional levels will be enhanced and collaborative efforts of interested stakeholders in Asia-Pacific region will increase the number of countries that adopt and implement approaches consistent with Comprehensive School Safety Framework (CSSF). APCSS calls on governments to sign up as a Safe School Leader as part of Worldwide Initiative for Safe Schools (WISS) for a stronger and more resilient Asia-Pacific.
The ASSI workshop serves as a medium for learning and sharing experiences among key actors working in disaster risk reduction (DRR) and education in order to inform the development of a framework for the ASEAN Safe Schools Initiative, and launches the initiative’s phase 2.
This workshop aims to strengthen cooperation and coordination between the disaster risk management community and the education community under the ASEAN Safe Schools Initiative and provide space for professionals, policy and decision makers, and development agencies to better understand each other’s perspectives and help develop a common framework for action to improve school safety in the ASEAN region.
Specific objectives of the workshop are to:
Launch the ASEAN Safe Schools Initiative Phase 2 and build a common understanding of its objectives, expected outputs and outcomes;
Discuss and provide guidance for the first deliverables of the ASEAN Safe Schools Initiative, including a common framework on safe schools for ASEAN and indicators to monitor school safety implementation;
Identify and strengthen cross-sectoral and multi-stakeholder mechanisms for collaboration among Ministries of Education and National Disaster Management Offices (NDMOs) of ASEAN Member States, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and other partners and stakeholders at country and regional levels; and
Provide a forum for sharing information on other relevant safe school related initiatives within the region and discuss collaboration for ASSI implementation at national and regional levels and joint efforts for collaboration, cooperation, and resource mobilization.
Below are the presentations delivered during the workshop:
Presentation keywords: Global Alliance for Disaster Risk Reduction & Resilience in the Education Sector (GADRESS), Asia Pacific Coalition for School Safety (ACSS), 6th AMCDRR Voluntary Statements of Commitments, Beijing Youth Commitments 2014, “Young Humanitarians in Action”, SBDRR (school-based disaster risk reduction), IEC materials, Youth Red Cross, PAPE (Public Awareness Public Education) for DRR, Application for PAPE.
Recommendations:
Support to formal recognition/adoption of the Comprehensive Framework for School Safety as a common framework in Asia Pacific.
Implementation of other global and regional commitments to build resilience in Education sector (HFA1&2, GADRRES/ACSS, AMCDRR, Beijing Conference).
Use already developed tools (i.e. PAPE) but engage key stakeholders in validation process.
Build more formal partnerships with governments and other key stakeholders.
Contribute to harmonization of tools, models, frameworks as key for long term systematic approach to building resilience in education.
RCRC invites to consider developing ONE common, comprehensive model for engagement at national/school level (process best to be led by host governments with technical support of all other stakeholders).
2. ASEAN Safe School Initiative (ASSI) Program, presented by Plan International (This is an overview about ASSI program governance and structure, delivered by Plan International as ASSI lead agency)
Presentation keywords: NGO, multi-donor funding, Plan International, World Vision, Mercy Malaysia, Save the Children
5.ASEAN Cooperation on Disaster Management (a presentation on AADMER presented by ASEAN) Presentation keywords: AADMER work programme, Priorities, Flagship Projects, Phase 2 strategies, partners.
6. Creating A Culture of Safety and Resilience in Schools: the SEAMEO Initiatives (SEAMO-The Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization is a regional intergovernmental organization established in 1965 among governments of Southeast Asian countries to promote regional cooperation in education, science and culture in the region. Member countries comprise of all ASEAN members andTimor Leste).
Presentation keywords: Overview, DRR Framework, integrating climate change, integrating education for sustainable development, toolkit for building disaster-resilient school communities, competency framework for Southeast Asian school heads, LEADeXCELS (excellence in leading education in emergency situations), integrating DRR and DM in mathematics education.
Lessons learned:
Collaborative nature inherent in a regional and multi-country approach demands that the commitment and support, including the clear delineation of roles, are present at all stages of project implementation.
Mapping and sharing of resources and expertise, which are essential given the tight budgets, resource shortages, and increased accountabilities, can help facilitate the DRR and safe school initiatives within the region.
Strong policies and legal frameworks are critical in coordinating, harmonizing, and spurring the various efforts that would strategically and efficiently prepare and assist schools.
