Central Asia DRR project

Russian Federation, 2004: Milana, aged 10, collects water at the temporary accommodation for displaced people who are returning to Grozny.

Supporting Disaster Risk Reduction among vulnerable communities in Central Asia

UNICEF, with the support of EC’s Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO), is implementing a sub-regional project on disaster risk reduction. The project is a first of its kind to be implemented by UNICEF in Central Asia and aims to contribute to the national efforts to ensure safety and protection of children against future disasters in the region.
The project is an example of how key principles of risk reduction and community safety can be integrated into education and other emergency sectors.

Countries involved:

• Kazakhstan
• Tajikistan
• Uzbekistan

Main partners:

• Government: Ministry/Committee of Emergency Situations; Ministry of Education;
• Others: UN-ISDR (International Strategy for Disaster Reduction); National Red Crescent Societies; and the Netherlands Red Cross

Main beneficiaries:

• School children, 
• Teachers, principals and other school staff,
• Parents and communities through children,
• Central, regional and local government officials mainly from education and disaster management authorities.

Key interventions:

• Advocacy and awareness-raising around Hyogo Framework for Action, which was endorsed by 168 governments in January 2005 and is the global blueprint for disaster risk reduction
• Strengthening of the existing disaster risk management policies and plans through DRR and education-specific inputs
• Equipping children and parents with relevant knowledge, skills and techniques to strengthen their capacities to protect themselves from the impacts of future disasters, 
• Supporting school-based disaster preparedness through introduction of school preparedness plans, emergency school committees, emergency brigades, etc.
• Providing relevant information, guidance and tools to teachers, school staff and disaster management officials to undertake disaster preparedness and risk reduction measures
• Collection of good practices, lessons learnt and tools related to Disaster Risk reduction and education from within Central Asia and dissemination of the report in a regional knowledge management conference in December 2009
• Support to intra-regional cooperation and collaboration between the governments to address disaster risks and vulnerabilities
  

For more information, please contact:

Angela Raven-Roberts
Regional Emergency Advisor
Email: aravenroberts@unicef.org

Asim Rehman
Regional DRR Specialist
Email: arehman@unicef.org