THOUSANDS of children across the Pacific are set to benefit from a new €EUR17 million European Union-UNICEF programme to strengthen education systems and make schools better prepared for climate-related disasters.
The Pacific Climate Resilient Education Systems programme, launched during the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Palau, will upgrade school infrastructure, strengthen maintenance systems and introduce measures designed to help schools remain operational during and after disasters.
The five-year programme will directly benefit around 15,000 children through improved school facilities in Fiji, the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati and the Solomon Islands. It will also provide training on disaster preparedness and school resilience for about 2,000 teachers and school administrators.
Around 25,000 community members will take part in disaster risk reduction and school maintenance activities.
Across the Pacific, cyclones, floods, rising sea levels and other disasters increasingly damage classrooms, water systems and school facilities, particularly in remote communities. Schools are often repaired only to be damaged again by the next disaster, creating a costly cycle of damage and reconstruction.
The programme will support climate-resilient water and sanitation facilities, renewable energy systems and enhanced connectivity, creating safer and more reliable learning environments.
It will also help governments plan and budget for the long-term maintenance of school facilities.
“Launched during this Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting, and in the same year that the Pacific hosts pre-COP, the partnership reflects growing recognition that climate resilience must be built into the systems and services that children rely on every day,” said UNICEF Pacific’s Deputy Representative, Roshni Basu.
“With the leadership of Pacific governments and in partnership with the European Union, this programme is investing in solutions that will protect learning for years to come, rather than relying on short-term fixes,” Basu said.
The agreement was signed by Marjeta Jager, Deputy Director-General for the Directorate-General for International Partnerships, and Basu. The programme will be implemented by Ministries of Education in partnership with UNICEF, National Disaster Management Offices, climate change authorities and regional organisations in Fiji, the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati and Solomon Islands.
