Challenges

The Kyrgyz Republic is a landlocked mountainous country, which is prone to various climate and disaster risks. The country is ranked as medium in the INFORM 2019 Risk Index1 due to the risk of earthquakes, floods and droughts that are exacerbated by climate change, as well as a lack of response capacity. Climate and environmental degradation-related disasters are common across the country. Lower areas, especially around the Fergana Valley regions of Jalal-Abad, Osh and Batken in the south of the country, are particularly vulnerable to landslides and flooding, while higher areas in Jalal-Abad, Issy Kul and Naryn regions are especially at risk of avalanches and glacial lake outburst floods. Another serious threat to children’s well-being is fires that may lead to loss of lives and significantly damage education infrastructure.

Moreover, air pollution has significantly worsened in recent years, especially in the capital city of Bishkek. According to the US Embassy’s real-time air quality index (AQI) monitoring data, the city reached “very unhealthy” level (AQI 201-300) for five days during November 2019, a level harmful to children playing outdoors.

Toward a Solution

Children spend most of their time at school. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that they learn in a safe and clean environment. Safe behaviour is also one of the important things that children learn at school – starting from preschool. A schools and preschools safety assessment (2011-2014)2 supported by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) demonstrated that 85 per cent of education facilities exhibit low safety levels and are exposed to potential disasters in the Kyrgyz Re It indicates that more than 1 million children are exposed to potential disaster risks. Based on these findings, the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic developed and is implementing the Safe Schools and Preschools in the Kyrgyz Republic 2015-2024 programme. It builds on the achievements and lessons learnt from the Safe Schools Project 3 supported by the Government of Japan and UNICEF between March 2017 and March 2020. In order to scale up school safety, the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic harnesses the knowledge and experience in disaster risk management of Japan, a disaster-prone country.

In order to scale up nationally, the Government and its partners have pursued key strategies, including: adoption of school-based disaster risk reduction (DRR) policies and practices from Japan; scaling up the achievements of the Japan-UNICEF Safe Schools Project (March 2017 – March2020); leveraging the support of UNICEF Volunteers in scaling up a school-based DRR module across the country; research and mobilization of technical assistance to strengthen the policy on resilience building in schools/preschools; building the capacity of partners, teachers and school/preschool staff on the implementation of the school-based DRR, climate change education (CCE) and eco-friendly activities; promotion of a safe and inclusive school environment for all children regardless of their gender, ethnicity, religion or disability; promotion of the participation of children and youth in decision-making and initiating the DRR and work related to climate change adaptation (CCA); and behaviour change communication in support of project objectives and activities.

The project targets 900,000 school children, 500 preschool children, 10,000 schoolteachers, 1,800 schools and 10 preschools, officials from the Ministry of Education and Science and its 40 district departments, the National Red Crescent Society (RCSK), and civil society organizations (CSOs) involved in DRR and CCA.

In March 2022, the Roadmap on Scaling Up Disaster Risk Reduction in Educational Institutions was approved by joint Order of the Ministry of Education and Science and the Ministry of Emergency Situations. The DRR Action Plan in educational organizations of the Kyrgyz Republic for 2021-2025 was adopted to implement the Roadmap. 2,450 persons from governmental and civil society organizations, teachers from 417 schools and 140 community leaders from all regions of the Kyrgyz Republic, as well as over 600 UNICEF and RCSK volunteers were also trained on the concept and practice of DRR, Climate Change and First Aid. The capacity development of these local stakeholder’s is envisaged to increase government ownership and sustainability in this initiative.

For the climate change agenda, UNICEF and its partner launched a study on Determining the Health and Social Impacts of Air Pollution on Women and Children in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The study objectives are to use primary data collection through smart sensors and questionnaires, combined with other available information, to model population-based exposures to air pollution and estimate the health and economic consequences in the city of Bishkek. The intended result of the survey is to mobilize a sustained movement towards policy change, innovative solutions, and multisectoral partnerships to reduce air pollution in Bishkek city drastically, keeping in mind the health and non-health impacts of air pollution on children and women.

The Government has also made significant progress in scaling-up the school-based DRR model and climate change adaptation action scaled. Information sessions on DRR and First Aid issues were held in Kyrgyz, Russian and Uzbek languages for 31,781 school children. This aimed to build their knowledge and skills necessary for protective measures during emergencies. 3,249 schoolteachers (2,312 women and 937 men) raised their awareness and increased their DRR knowledge and practical skills. 1,414 representatives and more than 18,738 children from 145 schools participated in the simulation exercises organized with support of UNICEF volunteers. DRR measures were carried out in 11 kindergartens, covering 1,839 children, 48 educators and administration staff. A training component on the prevention of gender-based violence (GBV) in emergencies for the school-based DRR context was developed, validated and included in the Manual on Disaster Risk Reduction for public schools of the Kyrgyz Re

This initiative mobilized active youth engagement and peer-to-peer learning in sharing knowledge on disaster risk reduction and management. To ensure sustainability, UNICEF closely worked with the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Ministry of Education and Science and municipalities to formulate the Roadmap and develop local emergency response plans especially in disaster-prone areas. These approaches to promoting youth engagement and government ownership could be replicable to disaster risk reduction measures in other country contexts.