The Center co-organized a Central Asian Ministers’ Meeting dedicated to progress in a comprehensive school safety system

On September 18-19, 2024, Central Asia Ministerial Meeting on Progress with the Implementation of the Comprehensive School Safety Framework was held in Almaty.

This event was organized by UNICEF, UNESCO, UNDRR, World Bank in partnership with the Center, with the support of USAID, the Government of Japan, the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) and was timed to coincide with the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction.

The meeting was attended by senior officials from the Ministries of Education, Environment and Natural Resources, emergency services of the Central Asian countries, the academic community (CAIAG, Institute of Seismology), as well Ms. Natalia Alonso Cano, Chief of the UNDRR  Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, Mr. Octavian Bivol, Deputy Regional Director for UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, representatives and experts from the regional and country offices of UNICEF, UNDRR, UNDP, UNESCO, IFRC, children's and youth activists, school principals.

The Director of the Center Mr. Aubakirov S.G. was nominated as the host of this 2-day event as the main partner.

Ms. Natalia Alonso Cano, Chief of the UNDRR Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, and Octavian Bivol, Deputy Regional Director for UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, in their speeches noted the importance and relevance of the event to discuss a comprehensive strategy to improve school safety in disaster-prone regions, which will facilitate safe, equitable and continuous access to quality education for all and support education sector policy makers in promoting children's rights, sustainability and resilience in the education sector.

Representatives of the ministries of Central Asian countries shared their experiences on the progress achieved in the field of school safety.

Particular attention was paid to the structural stability of school buildings, representatives of the scientific community shared the necessary measures for the structural safety of school buildings, which is an integral part of emergency preparedness and response.

Experts and representatives of international organizations shared their experience in implementing a school safety program in different countries and lessons learned, presented statistical data on children's vulnerability to climate risks in Central Asian countries, an analysis of the existing legislative framework in the field of school safety at the country and regional levels. UNICEF Regional Office Education Consultant Gurgen Boshyan in his presentation noted the presence of only 2 documents at the Regional level, one of which is the "Strategy for the Development of Cooperation between Central Asian countries in the Field of Disaster Risk Reduction", developed by the Center and approved by the heads of emergency agencies of the Central Asian countries at the Regional Forum in 2021. Strategy for the development of cooperation between Central Asian countries in the field of disaster risk reduction

Director of the Center Aubakirov S.G. shared about the Center's activities to strengthen Regional Cooperation, including the platform of the Regional Forum of the Meeting of the Heads of Emergency Authorities of the Central Asian Countries, as a permanent consultative platform.

Thus, the results of the Regional Forum on the adoption of strategically important documents for the region, such as:

1) Regional Disaster Risk Profile of Central Asian countries; 

2) Strategy for the development of cooperation between Central Asian countries in the field of disaster risk reduction for 2022-2030;

3) Action Plan (Roadmap) for the implementation of the Strategy for the Development of Cooperation between Central Asian countries in Disaster Risk Reduction.  The Roadmap for 2023-2024 has been fully implemented, and the heads of emergency departments of the Central Asian countries have now adopted the Roadmap for 2025-2026, which indicates a transition from awareness of exposure to transboundary risks to the readiness of the heads of emergency authorities of the Central Asian countries to take practical actions to create sustainable mechanisms for regional cooperation in the field of prevention, preparedness and response to transboundary emergencies.

The meeting consisted of 8 sessions, one of which was devoted to group exercises to develop recommendations for regional and country actions to improve the implementation of the Comprehensive School Safety Program in Central Asian countries.

The final document of the meeting was the signing of the Ministerial Declaration on Comprehensive School Safety in Central Asia by representatives of the Ministries of Education of the Central Asian countries.

This event allowed to discuss the progress achieved in the field of school safety, coordinate joint efforts and mutual support at the national and regional levels and develop recommendations.

On the sidelines of the event, the Center held a bilateral meeting with Ms. Natalia Alonso Cano, Chief of the UNDRR Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, during which they discussed further joint actions on the establishment of the Regional Early Warning and Mutual Information System on the threat and occurrence of emergency situations of transboundary character. Following the meeting, Ms. Natalia Alonso Cano expressed her intention to further support the Center in expanding the number of participants, promotion and implementation of the main initiatives of the Center, holding the Regional Forum - Meeting of Heads of Emergency Authorities of the Central Asian countries.