AKIPRESS.COM - UNICEF, in collaboration with the National Society of the Red Crescent in Kyrgyzstan, launched the second phase of the "Enhancing the resilience of children to climate and disaster risks in the Kyrgyz Republic" project, funded by the Government of Japan for the total sum of US$ 4 million. The 3-year project implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Science and the Ministry of Emergency Situations will reach approximately 1 million school children in 1,800 schools across the country.

The project inception round table was attended today by the Deputy Minister of Emergency Situations, Mr Kalys Akmatov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Kyrgyz Republic, Mr Shigeki Maeda, UNICEF Representative in the Kyrgyz Republic, Ms Christine Jaulmes, and the Director of the National Society of Red Crescent in Kyrgyzstan, Mr Chingiz Djakipov.

Mr. Shigeki Maeda, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Kyrgyz Republic noted: “Since Japanese are living with natural disasters, they understand the need to provide assistance to similar countries. Natural disasters in Kyrgyzstan may have similarities and differences with Japan, but there is no difference in the importance of preparedness, and school education also plays an important role. We are confident that UNICEF will be able to implement an educational program that suits the local circumstances in cooperation with the relevant ministries and agencies of Kyrgyzstan and the Red Crescent Society.”

Within this project one of the main activities is to expand and institutionalize school-based disaster risk reduction (DRR) training into 1,800 schools across the country. This is done by building the capacity of District Education Department staff and teachers, conducting emergency drills, and supervising the development and execution of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) plans in each school.

“Despite of all efforts, there is still a lot to do in terms of promoting children’s safety, equipping students with safe behavior skills and supporting local authoritiesfor emergency preparedness and disaster risk reduction. The Ministry of Emergency Situations has an important role to play in training local authorities and teachers on these issues and monitoring how this knowledge is put into practice. Ministries’ oversight would be crucial in making this happen”, stated Christine Jaulmes, UNICEF Representative, at the project inception meeting.

The project supports the implementation of the State Programme "Safe Schools and Pre-schools in the Kyrgyz Republic in 2015-2024" and the "Roadmap for Disaster Risk Reduction in Educational Institutions of the Kyrgyz Republic for 2021-2025". Under the first phase, developed over the last three years (2017-2020) and funded by the Government of Japan, more than 65,000 children in over 121 schools across the country were reached, building on their resilience against disasters.