concept-note

This paper is a document prepared by the German Committee for Disaster Reduction (DKKV) and the
UN ISDR Thematic Platform on Knowledge and Education (TPK&E) with contributions from:

> Coalition for Global School Safety (COGSS)
> Capacity Building International (InWEnt)
> French Association for the Prevention of Natural Disasters (AFPCN)
> German Technical Cooperation (GTZ)
> Global Risk Forum GRF Davos
> Hazard Management Cayman Islands (HMCI)
> United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR)
> United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
> United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF)
> United Nations University-Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS)

Produced by

With the support of:

German Committee for Disaster Reduction

Federal Foreign Office, Germany

German Committee for Disaster Reduction (DKKV)
Friedrich-Ebert-Allee 40
D-53113 Bonn
Tel.: 0049-(0)228-44601826
Fax: 0049-(0)228-44601836
Email: info@dkkv.org

Author: Ria Hidajat
March 2009

Concept Note

Executive Summary

In this paper the German Committee for Disaster
Reduction and the UN ISDR Thematic Platform on
Knowledge and Education introduced their re-
flection on linking Education for Sustainable De-
velopment and Disaster Risk Management. It is
aimed in particular at the participants of the
World Conference of Education for Sustainable
Development and other stakeholders

engaged

in promoting Education, Sustainable Develop-
ment and Disaster Risk Reduction at all levels.

The paper elucidates how Disaster Risk Reduction
supports Education for Sustainable Development
or even shows that Disaster Risk Reduction is im-
perative for Sustainable Development. Disaster
Risk Reduction is about preventing disasters
caused by natural events, such as earthquakes,
floods, landslides, storms or volcanic eruptions.
Hazards are part of nature but can turn into disas-
ters as a result of human interactions. Disasters
are among the biggest obstacles to achieving the
UN’s Millennium Development Goals for poverty
reduction.

The framework of the ISS reflects the awareness
that disaster prevention and mitigation is a criti-
cal issue and key sustainable development chal-
lenge, but a broad implementation is still lacking.
How Education for Disaster Risk Reduction backs
up the main objectives of the Decade, will be out-
lined in the following five strategic themes (1) Ad-
vocacy to policy makers, (2) Capacity Building, (3)
Formal education, (4) Non-formal education and
(5) Educational infrastructure.

The following recommendations are proposed to
encourage Education for sustainable develop-
ment by Disaster Risk Reduction:

1. Motivate political commitment and
strengthen legal frameworks
To that end, high-level advocacy to Ministers of
Education on Education for Disaster Risk Reduc-
tion is urgently required, so that it is recognized
as one of the key priorities on the national educa-
tion agenda and that it thus benefits from in-
creased resource mobilization.

2. Promote Capacity Building at all levels
In the field of Disaster Risk Reduction ‘capacity
building’ can include issues such as training,
transfer of technology, application of traditional
knowledge and know-how, as well as strengthen-
ing of institutional capacities at the community,
national and regional levels.

3. Clarify responsibilities and promote network-
ing and exchange between stakeholders
Acknowledging the multi-disciplinary approach
of Education for Disaster Risk Reduction, institu-
tional networks with clear responsibilities have to
be set up to support networking and know-how
transfer.

4. Developing effective education strategies to
achieve quality education and learning
It is imperative to ensure that Disaster Risk Reduc-
tion education is rooted in existing learning theo-
ries and firmly embedded in education
programmes at all levels.

5. Develop and apply minimum standards for
safe and disaster-resistant schools and educa-
tional infrastructure
The safety of educational infrastructure needs to
become a national priority. A safe education facil-
ity is either located in a danger-free zone or has
been built to be resilient to an extreme natural
event. Older school buildings should benefit from
effective retrofitting programmes.

The proposed action agenda demands that Edu-
cation for Disaster Risk Reduction should be en-
couraged as one of the programme’s cross-cutting
components during the second half of the Decade
of Education for Sustainable Development.

1 Stakeholders are from governmental and intergovernmental bodies, civil society and nongovernmental organisations and the private sector.

Concept Note

List of Content

1. INTRODUCTION ON DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND

EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

2. STRATEGIC THEMES ON EDUCATION FOR DISASTER RISK REDUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Strategic Theme 1: ‘Advocacy to policy makers’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Strategic Theme 2: ‘Capacity Building’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Strategic Theme 3: ‘Formal education’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Strategic Theme 4: ‘Non-formal education’. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Strategic Theme 5: ‘Educational infrastructure’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

3. RECOMMENDATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

1. Motivate political commitment and strengthen legal frameworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

2. Promote Capacity Building at all levels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

3. Clarify responsibilities and promote networking and exchange between stakeholders . . . . . . . . . 13

4. Developing effective education strategies to achieve quality education and learning. . . . . . . . . . 14

5. Develop and apply minimum standards for safe and disaster-resistant schools

and educational infrastructure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

4. ACTION AGENDA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Appendix 1: Milestones in Education for Disaster Risk Reduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Appendix 2: References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Concept Note

INTRODUCTION ON DISASTER RISK REDUCTION
AND EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The occurrences of natural disasters are on the
rise. Images of the devastating Myanmar cyclone
and China Sichuan earthquake are painful re-
minders of the world´s increasing vulnerability

In 2008, 321 disasters killed 235,816 people, af-
fected 211million others and cost a total of US$
181 billion. Asia was the most affected continent.
The death toll in 2008 was three times more than
the annual average of 66,812 for 2000-2007

Hazards are part of nature but can turn into disas-
ters as a result of human interactions. The contin-
ued failure to manage natural resources, the
demographic pressure and human settlements in
fragile ecosystems and the increased demand on
environment, are among the main causes of envi-
ronmental degradation and add to the threat of
global climate change and rising sea levels. The
IPCC studies

predict that climate change – con-

tributed to by human activities - will increase and
intensify the extension of natural events and ex-
acerbate the underlying risk many developing
countries are already facing.

Disasters are among the biggest obstacles to
achieving the UN’s Millennium Development
Goals for poverty reduction. Thus, reducing disas-
ter risks and their impact has become an impor-
tant development issue in its own right. Since the
United Nations Conference on Environment and
Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro in 1992,
disaster reduction has been recognized as an inte-
gral component of sustainable development
(Chapter 3 of Agenda 21). This conclusion and the
cross-sectoral nature of disaster risk reduction
were once again underlined in 2002 at the World
Summit on Sustainable Development in Johan-
nesburg. Furthermore the linkage between the
education for disaster risk reduction and sustain-
able development is getting more and more visi-

ble on other international agendas (Annex 1: Mile-
stones in Education for Disaster Risk Reduction).

In December 2002, the United Nations General
Assembly adopted resolution 57/254 to put in
place a United Nations Decade of Education for
Sustainable Development (DESD), spanning from
2005 to 2014, and designated UNESCO to lead the
Decade. Education for natural disaster reduction
has been identified as a core issue to be ad-
dressed under the Decade of Education for Sus-
tainable Development (DESD)

. Education is

regarded in its broader concept. As defined in
Chapter 36 of Agenda 21, “Education is critical for
achieving environmental protection and ethical
awareness, values and attitudes, skills and behav-

Over the last decade, disasters trigge-
red by natural hazards have claimed
more than 600,000 lives and affected
more than 2.4 billion people, the ma-
jority of them in developing countries.
Years of development gains have been
lost, deepening poverty for millions
and leaving them even more exposed
to future natural hazards. Now more
than ever, we must accelerate our ef-
forts to reduce vulnerability

(Kofi Annan, 11 October 2006)

2 The Tropical Cyclone Nargis, killed 138 366 people in Myanmar and the Sichuan earthquake in China, caused the deaths of 87 476 people.

UNISDR Press Release 2009/01, 22 January 2009.

3 UNISDR Press Release 2009/01, 22 January 2009.
4 IPCC (2007): Climate Change 2007: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Fourth Assessment Report of the In-

tergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Geneva.

5 A/RES/59/237 24 February 2005

Concept Note

iour consistent with sustainable development.
Both formal and non–formal education is indis-
pensable to sustainable development”. Education
and knowledge contribute to raising awareness
on natural hazards as well as existing vulnerabili-
ties and threats faced by the communities. They
also contribute to building life skills and thus can
make a difference between life and death.

The Decade is supported by the Hyogo Frame-
work for Action 2005 – 2015: “Building the Re-
silience of Nations and Communities to Disasters”,
adopted by 168 Member States at the World Con-
ference on Disaster Reduction, 2005, Kobe, Japan,
which highlights the importance of education
and learning as part of its priorities for action,
using knowledge, innovation and education to
build a culture of safety and resilience at all levels.
Disaster reduction initiatives should be rooted in
all educational institutions in particular in schools
and in educational programmes. Education for
disaster risk reduction utilizes all aspects of public
awareness raising, education and training to cre-
ate or enhance a culture of prevention by identifi-
cation and understanding of risks, learning of risk
reductions measures, and disaster response.

Therefore Education for Disaster Risk Reduction
(EDRR) - as part of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) -
has to be inherent with Education for Sustainable
Development (ESD), and supports the frame-
works of ESD in three important ways:

> Education for disaster risk reduction is interdis-

ciplinary. Therefore, important consideration is
given to the impacts on, and relationship be-
tween, society, the environment, economy and
culture.

> Education for disaster risk reduction promotes

critical thinking and problem solving and
other social and emotional life skills that are
essential to the empowerment of stakeholder
groups threatened or affected by disasters.

> Education for disaster risk reduction supports

the Millennium Development Goals. Without
considering Disaster Risk Reduction in devel-
opment planning, all efforts including,
decades of development initiatives could be
destroyed in seconds.

The international implementation scheme of the
decade (IIS) proposes four main objectives for the
DESD: (1) to facilitate networking, linkages, ex-
change and interaction among stakeholders in
ESD; (2) to foster an increased quality of teaching
and learning in ESD; (3) to help countries make
progress towards and attain the Millennium De-
velopment Goals through ESD efforts; (4) and to
provide countries with new opportunities to in-
corporate ESD into education reform efforts.

Concept Note

The power of knowledge in saving
lives was illustrated on multiple occasi-
ons over the past decade. One of the
most telling one is the story of the
young British girl who, during her ho-
lidays on a beach in Phuket, Thailand,
recognized the early signals of a tsu-
nami thanks to the basic knowledge
acquired on tsunamis during a geogra-
phy class at school, and had the beach
evacuated, thereby saving the life of
hundreds of persons.

STRATEGIC THEMES ON EDUCATION
FOR DISASTER RISK REDUCTION

While in the past a strong focus has been given to
disaster response during or in the immediate af-
termath of a disaster; disaster risk reduction
measures require solid actions based on policies,
which target mitigation effectively to reduce the
growing vulnerability of communities and assets.

The five strategic themes are based on examples
and worldwide best practices and involve ele-
ments that need to be taken into account to ef-
fectively integrate Disaster Risk Reduction into
policies, plans and programmes supporting the
basic vision of the Decade for ESD, “a world where
everyone has the opportunity to benefit from ed-
ucation and learn the values, behaviour and
lifestyle required for a sustainable future and for
positive societal transformation”. The country case
studies highlight selected experiences to share
what was achieved so far and to promote interna-
tional exchange to learn from each other.

Strategic Theme 1:

‘Advocacy to policy makers’

A public policy is required to incorporate Disaster
Risk Reduction within the framework of educa-
tion for sustainable development, and this must
start with political commitment and high-level
authority and be rooted in the coordination of
various agencies and sectors and their participa-
tion in policy-making. Therefore the availability of
a political framework for Disaster Risk Reduction
on national level is a precondition.

While decisions will depend on authorities and in-
stitutions at the national level, local government,
local institutions and communities must be em-
powered to participate in the entire policy mak-
ing process, so that they are fully aware and
prepared to incorporate Disaster Risk Reduction
within policies targeting education. By endorsing
the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA), govern-
ments, both national and local, are committed to
reducing the exposure of people and assets to
the effects of disasters and to building disaster re-

Case study Iran:

In order to make children more resilient, UNICEF and
the Iranian Education Ministry initiated a programme
of disaster risk reduction in education focusing on two
priorities: Firstly building capacity for “psycho-social
support before and during emergencies and secondly
advocating safe modular emergency prefabricated
schools.

The capacity-building initiative seeks to improve ca-
pacities for psycho-social support from national to
local level dealing with children’s condition before
and during emergencies. The advocacy initiative in-
tends to localise Inter-Agency Standing Committee
(IASC) guidelines for psycho-social support in emer-
gencies, and to encourage partners (governmental
and international organizations) to harmonize and co-
ordinate their efforts in this area.

The Project is considered a good practice because:
(1) it helps shift attitudes and approaches of state bod-

ies towards closer attention to the needs of chil-
dren before and during emergencies;

(2) it is an example of an emergency response project

that evolved into disaster risk reduction by inte-
grating preparedness and prevention.

(3) the project resulted in the development of new

safety standards for safer and low-cost prefabri-
cated schools that can be built in vulnerable areas.

(4) the government’s involvement and ownership was

evident from the early stages of the project.

Source: UNICEF

Concept Note

silient communities and nations. This approach is
fully in line with the strategy of the Decade to
promote advocacy and vision building, and it
supports participation and decentralisation.

The incorporation of Disaster Risk Reduction in
Education for Sustainable Development is a legiti-
mate instrument of public policy at the highest
national levels for three main reasons. The first
one is public safety and the protection of human
life. The second is the protection of the nation’s
resource base and productive assets (infrastruc-
ture and private property or investments) to en-
sure long-term development and economic
growth. The third is that States, as duty-bearers,
shall undertake appropriate policy, legislative and
administrative measures to facilitate the imple-
mentation of the children’s rights recognized in
the international bill of human rights and in the
convention on the rights of the child.

Conversely, by reducing the impact of disasters, a
government avoids the financial and political bur-
den of massive rehabilitation costs. From a public
policy viewpoint, disaster risk reduction must be
part of a single, well-integrated process and pol-
icy concerning education for sustainable devel-
opment.

Strategic Theme 2:

‘Capacity Building’

Capacity building and training for Disaster Risk
Reduction Education can be applied at three dif-
ferent levels.

1. At the individual level, capacity building refers

to the process of changing attitudes and de-
veloping skills while maximizing the benefits
of participation and knowledge exchange.

2. At the institutional level, capacity building

concentrates on organizational performance
and functioning capabilities.

Case study Mozambique:

The National Institute of Disaster Risk Management in
Mozambique – Instituto Nacional de Gestão de
Calamidades (INGC) implemented a local warning and
response system during the past few years. The sys-
tem is based on people's own capacity to protect
themselves as far as possible. Hence, so called local
Disaster Management Committees are created and
trained with the role of warning and guiding the af-
fected community and informing authorities and re-
lief agencies. It is an example of how disasters can be
effectively met by concerted, decentralized commu-
nity action and self-organization at a low cost, and it
ensures that improvements will not again be washed
away by the next floods, which are certain to come.
When cyclone Flavio with winds of around 200km/hr
hit the country in 2007 there was extensive property
damage. Several people died and more than 60,000
had been evacuated due to floods. Without this local
warning system, the figures would have been much
higher.

Moreover, in Mozambique efforts are being taken to
integrate Disaster Risk Reduction in school lessons
and into school infrastructure in order to enable peo-
ple to better understand and respond to specific
threats. Therefore special educational material was re-
cently developed by the INGC and Capacity Building
International (InWEnt). This programme has been sup-
ported by the Federal Foreign Office, Germany, in co-
operation with InWEnt."

Source: InWEnt

6 “Developing countries should conduct training programmes on disaster-resistant construction methods for contractors and builders, who build the

majority of housing in developing countries. Training programmes should be extended to government officials and planners and community and
non-governmental organizations to cover all aspects of disaster mitigation, such as early warning techniques, pre-disaster planning and construction,
post disaster construction and rehabilitation”

Concept Note

3. In recent years, increased emphasis has also

been placed on the systemic dimension of ca-
pacity development with emphasis on the
overall policy framework.

Again, the Agenda 21 (Chapter 7) incorporates
specific recommendations related to capacity
building in disaster-prone urban areas

. Within

the ESD capacity building and training is one of
the seven interlinked strategies that are proposed
for the Decade.

The aim of Education for Disaster Risk Reduction
is to build the human capacities to understand
the most likely risks, likelihood of disasters and
their potential consequences. Policy decisions to
reduce disasters should be based on a sound as-
sessment of risk. However, it takes educated peo-
ple - at whatever stage of life or age they are - to
identify the risks, both in terms of the hazards and
vulnerabilities. A challenge is before building the
capacities, key persons in the education system
have to be sensitised and motivated to engage
themselves for disaster prevention.

Institutions and communities which execute pol-
icy decisions must be educated and trained con-
cerning how to locally optimize disaster risk
reduction measures, enabling such risks to be
dealt with. Education is essential to ensure that
people in such institutions and communities un-
derstand the severity of the risks they are facing,
and have the capacity to implement measures re-
quired to manage such risks properly. Experi-
ences of professionals and practitioners are vital
resources that must be cultivated, engaged and
sustained at local and national levels. Vulnerable
communities should be duly empowered with
valuable knowledge, education and skills, to take
well-informed decisions and actions at times of
emergencies.

Strategic Theme 3:

’Formal education’

To create a culture of safety, disaster risk reduc-
tion and environmental issues have to be inte-
grated within all levels of education, from the
pre-primary to the advanced university levels. Ter-

tiary education makes a substantial contribution
towards supporting the reform processes for Dis-
aster Risk Reduction necessary for successful sus-
tainable development. Universities are teaching
the leaders of tomorrow and are seen as „intellec-
tual goldmines“.

The following three complementary elements are
important for long-term sustainability in main-
streaming Disaster Risk Reduction in formal edu-
cation: (1) Curricula and school integration, (2)
Teacher training, (3) Assessment of learning.
These three elements furthermore also need to
be aligned to ensure coherency. One of the major
challenges relies is making the complex cause-ef-
fect chains between human behaviour and envi-
ronment comprehensible to children and youth,
and ensuring that they, as future citizens, are and
will be able to make sound decisions and act
upon these in their lives through increased life
skills and knowledge.

(1) Curricula integration
Disaster Risk Reduction can be integrated into
formal school curricula, either as stand-alone
courses or modules designed for infusion into ex-
isting courses. The most comprehensive ap-
proach is a mix between integration and infusion.
Disaster Risk Reduction benefits from being inte-
grated into a main topic that already deals with
resilience and prevention skills, such as Education
for Sustainable Development or life skills educa-
tion. This allows for better monitoring of outputs
and outcomes, and alignment with teacher train-
ing and assessments. Enriching the remaining
curriculum through infusion of related knowl-
edge matter, allows reinforcement of learning
through repetition. Additionally co-curricular ac-
tivities like school safety programmes should be
promoted. The programmes include the whole
school and reach out to the community, and the
activities cut across subjects and classes.

However, it is critical to ensure, is the content of
the curricula, to guarantee that it includes more
than just the imparting of information on evacua-
tion drills or first-aid attempts. Education for Dis-
aster Risk Reduction aims at building safety and
resilience at all levels. To ensure this, desired and
measurable knowledge, attitudes and skills learn-

Concept Note

ing outcomes that contribute to decreasing risk
and increasing protection in situations of natural
disasters need to be established. It is also critical
to ensure the relationship between the hazardous
phenomenon and human interaction and the
many practical countermeasures that can be im-
plemented to reduce the risk. Therefore, curricula
in primary and also in higher education should in-
troduce principles of, and positive attitudes to-
wards, long-term disaster preventive measures
such as safe construction, appropriate land-use
planning, contingency planning and effective
early warning communication systems.

Parallel to the integration process of integrating
Disaster Risk Reduction into school curriculum
and co-curricular programmes, appropriate
teaching and learning material is needed. Many
materials developed by different agencies and or-
ganisations such as civil protection agencies, de-
velopment/humanitarian organisations, scientific
research organisations and non-governmental or-
ganisations can be used as teacher and student
support for classroom activities. It is also impor-
tant to promote the elaboration of chapters
within textbooks, or complete textbooks dealing
with particular subjects related to hazards and
Disaster Risk Reduction, in particular, at the
higher education level. A few countries have also
achieved a positive impact by successfully inte-
grating selected non-formal education materials
into formal education, and this should be consid-
ered for replication.

(2) Teacher training (in- and pre-service)
Sustainable capacity building for maximizing pro-
tection and minimizing risk at the school level re-
lies upon embedding both skills to access
up-to- date knowledge regarding risk and protec-
tion, and on pedagogical methods that enable
learners development of knowledge, attitudes
and skills needed for safer behaviours in situa-
tions of disasters in higher education pro-
grammes for teacher training. Partnerships with
pedagogic institutes for pre-service education
like teacher training colleagues and teacher train-
ing centres for in-service continuing education
will be vital to the success.

(3) Assessing student learning
What learners do to prevent natural disaster and
to preserve their and others safety in situations of

disaster is the ultimate goal of Education for Dis-
aster Risk Reduction. But the capacity to evaluate
behaviour in this way is limited by constraints of
time, opportunity, expertise and financial re-
sources. Information about knowledge and skills
acquisition, values formation and behavioural in-
tent is easier to collect, and these are practical al-
ternatives for assessing the results of Disaster Risk
Reduction learning. Such learning outcomes
need to be integrated into national examinations
to ensure coherence with curricula and teacher
training, and also provide the necessary motiva-
tion for teachers to teach, and students to learn
Disaster Risk Reduction.

Case study Sri Lanka:

Teacher training in Sri Lanka: Following the 2004
Tsunami, under leadership of the Ministry of Educa-
tion and the National Institute of Education and with
the support of the German Technical Cooperation
(GTZ), an effort began to integrate disaster risk re-
duction into the teacher training curriculum and pre-
pare teachers country wide for its implementation.
India’s National Institute of Disaster Management pro-
vided initial expert support and contributed to the de-
velopment of a practical, skills-focused curriculum.
Through the National Colleges of Education all future
teachers are reached during their pre-service training
and acquire basic Disaster Management know-how
and relevant skills for implementing School Safety
programs.

Source: UNISDR 2008

Concept Note

Strategic Theme 4:

‘Non-formal education’

Non-formal education can be the rapid entry
point for Disaster Risk Reduction Education. This
can take many forms, offering fun and engaging
ways to introduce important knowledge, skills
and competencies for students of all ages. Some
examples are creative educational material, such
as games, comic books, posters and videos. The
use of all forms of arts, like music, street theatre
and dance, to transmit essential knowledge to
parents and to the wider community is especially
appreciated in the non-formal settings of assem-
blies and special events. An important aspect is to
bring together students, parents, the local com-
munity and the local government by, for instance,
staging after school ‘safety clubs’, parent-teacher
association or school welfare committee meet-
ings.

The wealth of expertise and experience encom-
passed as part of indigenous knowledge, ac-
quired and passed from one generation to
another has developed more interest in recent
years in the area of disaster management. Indige-
nous knowledge has the potential to improve
Disaster Risk Reduction policies through the inte-
gration of disaster education and early warning
systems. An incorporation of indigenous or local
knowledge in existing practices and policies as
well as its recognition within formal education
processes should also encourage the participa-
tion of the affected community and empower its
members to take the leading role in all Disaster
Risk Reduction activities. Further project imple-
mentation can certainly be improved by obtain-
ing valuable information about the local context.

Concept Note

Case study France:

Cities and students are brought together in a
program called “Memo’Risks”. Called upon by
their Mayor, students 11 years and older lead
an inquiry about a natural hazard that concerns
their city. The project is a trans-disciplinary
school project anchored locally and in daily life.
Students are invited to start simple actions
such as drawing risk maps, uncovering memo-
ries by interviewing the elderly, questioning
the population about its level of information

and preparation, asking local workers, busi-
nessmen and shop-keepers about the possible
consequences of a disaster. Adult awareness is
raised at the same time. The finished work is
present at the city-hall open to the public, and
recognized in local newspapers and radio.
(http://www.prevention2000.org/memorisks/i
ndex.htm)

Source: UNISDR 2008

Strategic Theme 5:

‘Educational infrastructure’

A safe and disaster resistant educational infra-
structure is important to reduce the number of
students and teacher casualties. A safe education
facility is that which is either located in a danger-
free zone or has been built to be resilient to an
extreme natural event. Older school buildings
should also be made resilient and to that end,
should benefit from effective retrofitting pro-
grammes.

In the long run, improving quality and construct-
ing new, safe education buildings should make
up part of national development planning. Edu-
cational infrastructure can be made resilient

through measures such as land use planning,
structural reinforcement and emergency plans. In
addition, schools are generally known shelters
during and after a disaster. Explicit account must
therefore be taken of these so-called safe havens
in disaster management. Nevertheless, it is impor-
tant to resume school operations as fast as possi-
ble after a disaster.

Education buildings are a large investment for a
municipality, so they should be built to last and
that also means they need to be disaster-resis-
tant, because building/rebuilding an education
centre always incurs heavy costs and these place
an additional burden on scarce budget funds in
times of emergency.

Concept Note

Case study India:

After the devastating Kashmere earthquake in
2005, CEE (Centre for Environment Education,
India) implemented the rehabilitation program
“Rebuilding Trust” prioritizing education and
awareness building, but also providing psy-
chosocial care and interim shelter support as
an immediate response. In order to bring chil-
dren back to school quickly, CEE organised
open air schools known as ‘Umang’ (meaning
learning with joy and fun). Earthquake resist-
ant reconstruction was promoted and seven
damaged schools were reconstructed by using
earthquake resistant techniques and devel-
oped into model schools (‘Anandshalas’ mean-
ing ‘school of joy’). Teachers and students of
these schools are trained in life skills and disas-
ter risk reduction measures and selected stu-

dents are trained for evaluating the effective-
ness of the relief and rehabilitation measures
in order to find room for improvement.

Source: Gangwar, R. & Gangwar, A. 2008

RECOMMENDATIONS

In some countries a wealth of knowledge and in-
formation on Disaster Risk Reduction is available.
One of the key remaining challenges is to effec-
tively manage, share and use this in a productive
way through awareness-raising and educational
initiatives, so that people take well-informed deci-
sions and appropriate action to ensure their re-
silience to disasters. Reducing risk and
vulnerability to disasters requires people’s under-
standing of how they can best protect them-
selves, their property and their livelihoods.
Education for Disaster Risk Reduction is an inter-
active process of mutual learning among people
and institutions.

The following are recommendations on how Edu-
cation for Disaster Risk Reduction can contribute
substantially to the implementation scheme of
ESD to reach the decade goals by 2014.

1. Motivate political commitment and

strengthen legal frameworks

Just as for any other aspect of public policy, edu-
cation for sustainable development needs to be
motivated and based within governmental re-
sponsibilities, especially since Disaster Risk Re-
duction may require exceptional executive
powers but its success cannot be accomplished
without the benefits of widespread decision-mak-
ing and the participation of many others. To that
end, high-level advocacy to Ministers of Educa-
tion on Education for Disaster Risk Reduction is
urgently required so that it is recognized as one
of the key priorities on the national education
agenda and can thus benefit from increased re-
source mobilization. A first step was taken in that
direction at the International Conference on Edu-
cation

during which a Policy Dialogue on Disas-

ter Risk Reduction Education as an essential
contribution to inclusive education represented a
first high level advocacy opportunity to raise
awareness on Education for Disaster Risk Reduc-
tion.

2. Promote Capacity Building at all levels

Capacity building can be achieved through differ-
ent means, such as training and education, public
information, transfer or provision of access to
technology and other forms of assistance de-
signed to improve institutional efficiency and for-
mulate an appropriate policy framework. In the
field of Disaster Risk Reduction, depending on the
context, ‘capacity building’ can include issues
such as training of disaster managers, transfer of
technology, application of traditional knowledge
and know-how, as well as strengthening of insti-
tutional capacities at the community, national
and regional levels. When no disaster has been
experienced by the living people, a realistic sce-
nario has to be implemented and shared at all
levels of the community and stakeholders.

Substantial amounts of resources are needed to
ensure that communities develop the capacities
to monitor and reduce the risks they are exposed
to. Human resources are essential; therefore ca-
pacities and competences in particular at local
levels require ongoing support.

3. Clarify responsibilities and promote net-

working and exchange between stakehold-
ers

Education for sustainable development and Dis-
aster Risk Reduction is a multi-disciplinary and
cross-sectoral approach, encompassing eco-
nomic, social and environmental dimensions.
Therefore institutional networks with clear re-
sponsibilities have to be set up. Benefits that ac-
crue from such connections include improved
efficiency, credibility, accountability, trust and
cost-effectiveness, a unified strategic framework
for decision making on issues of common con-
cern, lessening duplication of efforts, as well as
mandating an appropriate division of responsibil-
ities.

7 48th Session of the International Conference on Education (ICE) “Inclusive Education: The Way of the Future”. November 2008, Geneva.

Concept Note

The spectrum of collaborative processes and ac-
tivities includes various ways of generating and
sharing information, joint research and integrated
databases through to participatory strategic plan-
ning and programming. This may imply the need
for decentralisation in the decision making
process and enhancing local governments and
communities‘ responsibilities.

4. Developing effective education strategies to

achieve quality education and learning.

Disaster Risk Reduction requires two parallel ap-
proaches: the capacity to generate the appropri-
ate information concerning risks which are
present but hidden from view, and a cultural
change to ensure that such information can be
understood by those at risk to the point that they
can take effective action to manage such risks
and protect themselves.

It is imperative to ensure that Disaster Risk Reduc-
tion education is rooted on existing learning theo-
ries and firmly embedded in existing education
programmes and infrastructures at all levels. The
focus of teaching and learning must be placed on
the desired knowledge, attitudes and skills learning
outcomes that are identified as leading to positive
attitudes towards long-term safety measures, and
on action competencies designed to maximize pro-
tection and minimize risk in dangerous situations.

Education is the key to enable both approaches
to be conducted in a complementary fashion.
Professionals need to be educated to be able to
identify and assess those risks, as well as to iden-
tify potential mitigation measures. The popula-
tion of children and adults needs to be educated
through both formal and non-formal approaches
to understand the need to incorporate such infor-
mation into their efforts targeting sustainable de-
velopment.

The following items provide guidance for imple-
mentation:

> Ensure that appropriate safety and risk reduc-

tion is integrated into the learning pro-
grammes of all children subject to risks
emanating from natural hazards.

> Country policies should promote the creation

of cross-sectoral and inter-institutional plat-
forms and action plans to include Disaster Risk
Reduction subject matter into the educational
systems at regional, national and local levels.

> Traditional and local knowledge about natural

hazards should be considered and integrated
in curricula for applications especially at re-
gional and local levels.

> Develop scientific capacities, technological

know-how and research.

5. Develop and apply minimum standards

for safe and disaster-resistant schools and
educational infrastructure.

School vulnerability strongly affects a country’s
ability to achieve the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) of the universal right to primary ed-
ucation and the eradication of poverty, and the
UNESCO led “Education for All” initiative, both
only attainable when principles of resilient envi-
ronments and school safety are made a priority.
Much can be done to guide future educational in-
frastructure planning and construction and to re-
duce the vulnerability of schools and educational
buildings through proactive mitigation programs.
The safety of educational infrastructure needs to
become a national priority and an essential part
of the Ministries of Education’s role must making
it imperative to ensure that policies, guidelines,
implementing and monitoring mechanisms are
needed. The following conditions have to be
meet to ensure safe education centres:

(1) Safe sites are defined in a detailed risk analysis.
(2) New education centres are built for disaster re-

sistance in compliance with building regula-
tions.

(3) Existing education centres are assessed and

brought up to regulation standards through
structural reinforcement and retrofitting as ap-
propriate.

(4) Minimum standards for regional building reg-

ulations are developed and applied.

(5) Special attention is paid to educational infra-

structure in land use and development plan-
ning.

Concept Note

4. ACTION AGENDA

During the second half of the Decade, and for the
purpose of realizing Education for Sustainable
Development as a holistic concept at all levels,
Education for Disaster Risk Reduction needs to be
developed as one of the programme’s cross-cut-
ting components, in order to render societal sys-
tems more resistant to potential disastrous
impacts and to thus contribute to the sustainabil-
ity of economic and social development as well as
to safeguarding the environment and critical in-
frastructure:

> National Platforms for Disaster Risk Reduction

are strongly encouraged to work closely with
UNESCO National Commissions to promote
the recognition of Education for Disaster Risk
Reduction as part of the national Education
agenda.

> Propose that the UNISDR Thematic Platform

on Knowledge and Education and DESD Secre-
tariat continue to promote effective imple-
mentation of Education for Disaster Risk

Reduction and School Safety throughout the
Decade and beyond.

> Encourage UNESCO at global level and UN Re-

gional Commissions at a regional level to initi-
ate a thorough monitoring of the acquisition
of life-skills through Education for Disaster Risk
Reduction.

> Strengthen the exchange of knowledge and

lessons learned in the field of Education for
Disaster Risk Reduction, for instance through
South-South exchange, knowledge/research
networks and technology transfer to create
synergetic effects between the Disaster Risk
Reduction and Education for Sustainable De-
velopment community.

> Promote the involvement of the private sector

and public private partnerships for Education
for Disaster Risk Reduction and School Safety
where appropriate.

Concept Note

Appendix 1: Milestones in Education for Disaster Risk Reduction

2008, Geneva: 48th session of the International
Conference on Education (ICE) “Inclusive Educa-
tion: The Way of the Future” Geneva and 2008,
May: ICE regional preparatory meeting, Bali “Inclu-
sive Education: Major Policies Issues in the Asia
and Pacific Region”. Preventing mass exclusion of
children from schools introduced as a part of
agenda and discussions.

2008, Bangkok: Education for Natural Disaster
Preparedness in Asia-Pacific in the context of Ed-
ucation for Sustainable Development (ESD). A
forum for coordination and exchange of informa-
tion between key stakeholders in the region cre-
ated. Eight countries targeted.

2008, Islamabad: Islamabad Declaration on
School Safety adopted at the Islamabad Inter-
national Conference on School Safety urges re-
silient schools as a matter of regional and
national priority.

2007, Delhi: Delhi Declaration on Disaster Risk
Reduction in Asia 2007 adopted by Second Asian
Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction
in New Delhi. National governments are urged to
integrate disaster risk reduction in school educa-
tion and make the schools safer for children.

2007, Bangkok: Bangkok Asia-Pacific Regional
Workshop on School Safety and Disaster Risk
Reduction Education organized by the regional
Disaster Risk Reduction Education Task Force and
partners. Review of progress in advancing Priority
3 of the HFA and promoting political commit-
ment to disaster risk reduction in school curricula
and safer school construction.

2007, Ahmedabad: Ahmedabad Action Agenda
adopted at the International Conference on
School Safety identified immediate and mid-
term priorities: Disaster Reduction Education in
Schools, Disaster-Resilient School Infrastructure,
Safe School and Community Environment and
Advocacy and Government Policy on School
Safety. It also identified stakeholder roles and re-
sponsibilities.

2007, Geneva: Global Platform for Disaster Risk
Reduction. Knowledge and Education Cluster met
to establish intention to form ongoing Thematic
Platform on Knowledge and Education.

2006, Paris: “Disaster Reduction Begins at School”
2006-2007 World Disaster Reduction Campaign
launched by UNISDR, UNESCO, UNICEF and part-
ners. Knowledge and Education Cluster formed.

2005: Coalition for Global School Safety estab-
lishes international network of advocates and ac-
tivists.

2005, Kobe: World Congress on Disaster Risk Re-
duction, Hyogo Framework for Action adopted
by 168 countries.

2000: United Nations World Disaster Reduction
Campaign “Disaster Reduction: Education and
Youth” aimed to continue and develop a culture
of prevention through education. Objectives in-
cluded integration of disaster reduction in educa-
tion curricula and promote youth participation in
disaster reduction activities.

1999: UN International Strategy for Disaster Re-
duction established.

Concept Note

Appendix 2: References

ADPC (2007): Integrating Disaster Risk Reduction
into School Curriculum. Mainstreaming Disaster
Risk Reduction into Education. RCC Guideline 6.1.
Bangkok.

Ahmedabad Action Agenda for School Safety
(2007): International Conference on School Safety
18 - 20 January 2007. Ahmedabad, India.

Bangkok Action Agenda (2007): Asia Pacific Re-
gional Workshop on School education and disas-
ter risk reduction. 8-10 October 2007. Bangkok,
Thailand.

Dakar Framework of Action (2000): Adopted by
the World Education Forum. 26-28 April 2000.
Dakar, Senegal.

Gangwar, R. & Gangwar, A. (2008) Towards Build-
ing Disaster Resilient Community in Indian Hi-
malayan Region through Non-Formal Education
and Awareness. In: Ammann, W., Poll, M., Häkki-
nen, E., Hoffer, H., Wolfensberger Malo Rivera, M.
(Eds.), 2008, Proceedings of the International Dis-
aster and Risk Conference, IDRC Davos 2008, Ex-
tended Abstracts, Global Risk Forum GRF Davos,
Davos, Switzerland.

GTZ (2007): Basic Education and Disaster Risk
Management - Concept paper. Eschborn.

Islamabad Declaration and Action Plan on School
Safety (2008): International Conference on School
Safety. May 16, 2008. Islamabad, Pakistan.

Petal, M. A.; Y. O. Izadkhah (2008): Concept Note:
Formal and Informal Education for Disaster Risk
Reduction. A contribution from Risk RED for the
International Conference on School Safety, Islam-
abad, May 2008.

Rebello de, Daphné (2003): International Associa-
tion of Universities and Charles University in
Prague. What is the role for Higher Education In-
stitutions in the UN Decade of Education for

Thematic Discussion Paper Cluster 3: Knowledge,
innovation and education: Building a culture of
safety and resilience. Prepared by UNESCO, IFRC,
UNICEF for the World Conference on Disaster Re-
duction, January 2005.

UNESCO (2007): Natural Disaster Preparedness
and Education for Sustainable Development. UN-
ESCO Bangkok. Bangkok.

UNESCO (2007): Disaster Preparedness and Miti-
gation. UNESCO´s Role. Paris.

UNISDR (2005): Hyogo Framework for Action.
Building the Resilience of Nations and Communi-
ties to Disasters.

UNISDR (2006): Let our children teach us! A Re-
view of the Role of Education and Knowledge in
Disaster Risk Reduction.

UNISDR (2007): United Nations documents re-
lated to disaster reduction, volume 3, 2003-2005.

UNISDR (2008 a): Indigenous Knowledge for Dis-
aster Risk Reduction. Good Practices and Lessons
Learned from Experiences in the Asia-Pacific Re-
gion.

UNISDR (2008b): Disaster Prevention for Schools.
Guidance for Education Sector Decision-Makers.

UNISDR (2008 c): Disaster Prevention for Schools.
Guidance for Education Sector Decision-Makers.
Consultation version, November 2008

Concept Note