SE1: Children for Change - For Local Resilience
- ID: SE1
- Date & Time: Tuesday 16 June (13:30 - 15:00)
- Room: 6
- Participation: Open
- Organizer: UNICEF, Plan International, Save The Children Alliance, World Vision International
- Focal Point: aspalton (at) unicef.org, nick.hall (at) planinternational.org
Description
Four international organisations have created a new partnership to present a child-focused side event at the Global Platform on Disaster Reduction. This side event is being planned to bring a specifically child-centred aspect to the Global Platform. Our primary purpose is to highlight the contribution children and young people (CYP) can make to research, policymaking and action on disaster risk reduction (DRR). Children and young people have a right to make this contribution and have much to offer. The achievement of HFA goals in future depends on the engagement of today’s children, today.
The event will be structured around four key activities:
• Presentation by children/young people about DRR and climate change;
• Emphasis on their points from panellists and report of survey findings;
• Video presentation – statements, questions, debate points from children, from El Salvador to Kenya;
• Q&A and debate, facilitated by TBC.
Expected Outcomes
Results aimed for:
• Motivate governments who want to implement the HFA, to recognise and address specific vulnerability of CYP and the value of their voice in DRR. Studies from around the world show that children are effective leaders of change – and that they are most worried about disasters, environment, inequality and poverty, and they want to address these issues.
• Change attitudes towards the understanding and roles of CYP in disasters and climate change adaptation: Focus group discussions have highlighted that children and young people are low down among local governments' and communities' priorities when considering DRR planning and implementation.
• Mainstream DRR into sectoral development more generally: Motivate governments to share responsibility for disaster risk management across sectors and line ministries – education, health, finance etc. Disaster response/ management administrations should not retain all knowledge and responsibility on DRR.
• Encourage support for local governments in climate change adaptation and DRR engagement.
Links to GP09:
• Climate change adaptation: Our emphasis is on the crucial importance on the involvement of children and young people in DRR and adaptation activities and planning.
• Scaling-up and implementation: Our emphasis is on cross-sectoral shared responsibility among national and local governments and line ministries (e.g., education, health etc.), for DRR knowledge sharing, planning and implementation.
Background Papers
> Children for Change: for Local Resilience [DOC, 45.50 Kb]
> Event Handout - Children Leading Change [PDF, 87.73 Kb]
Presentations
Outcomes
Note: this is an interim report pending publication of the Conference Proceedings from the 2009 Global Platform.
> Report from SE1 [PDF, 34.87 Kb]
Related Links