Disaster Risk Reduction Management: The Case of Lao

PDR Presented by: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sisamone

SITHIRAJVONGSA

Sub-Theme: Education in Emergencies and The Role of

School Community

I. The Country Background

a landlocked country with mountains and rivers; Vulnerable to disasters, but low level of natural disasters

such as floods, droughts, landslides, windstorms, cold, frequent typhoons;

Other hazards such as forest fires, community fires, human and animal epidemics, UXO, road accidents and low risk of earthquakes also commonly occure in Lao PDR;

I. The Country Background (Cont.)

Effects: A great loss to the country socio-economic growth and livelihood of people; Negative impact on education - Disasters keep children out of school because schools are damaged or used as temporary shelters. Limited disaster preparedness;

II. Education and Disaster RiskData of 2013-16During 2013 – 2014, 229 schools were affected by floods, windstorms and landslides across the country; 4 students and 1 teacher died due to flash floods in Oudomxay in 2013); In 2015 floods, windstorms and landslides affected 70 schools;In 2016, 21 schools were impacted by windstorms, floods, and fire.

III. Disaster Risk Management in Education Sector based on CSS

What is CSS? a comprehensive approach to reduce risks from all hazards; plan for educational continuity in the face of all expected hazards and threats; safeguard education sector investments; and strengthen risk reduction and resilience through education ;

CSS is supported by education policy and practices; •It rests on three pillars: 1. Safe Learning Facilities, 2. School Disaster Management and 3. Risk Reduction and Resilience Education

III. Education and Disaster Risk Management (cont.)

Significant progress1. National Policies and Regulations

In order to facilitate the integration of DRR into strategies for comprehensive school safety, there has been a concerted effort to address Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRR/M) in the Education Sector.

A number of National Policies, Regulations and Guidelines Related to Comprehensive School Safety have been formulated.

1. The National Disaster Management Plan (MoLSW 2012-2015), (Pillars 1,2,3)

2. Law on Environmental Protection issued by Prime Minister No 158 in 1999 (Pillars 1,2,3)

3. Decree on DRM Committee within MoES its TOR and members, Dec 2015 (Pillars 1,2,3)

4. School Construction Guidelines, Education Construction and Design Management, MoES 2009 (Pillars 2)

5. The National Strategy Plan on Disaster Risk Management in Lao PDR to 2020 (Pillars 2)

2. Institutional CapacityMajor institutional changes related to DRM; •MoES Disaster Risk Management Committee established;•Provincial and district Disaster Prevention and Control Committees offices (P/DDPCC) established; •All stakeholders understand the mandate to integrate DRR/M into plans and can describe activities ongoing in their specialized area; Guidelines that integrates school safety into the standards for school construction developed;

3. Guidelines and Standards used by MOES for DRR and CSS in Lao PDR

1. Mainstreaming DRR in the Education Sector in Lao PDR, developed by ADPC, MOES, NDMO, EC, UNDP 2008, (Pillars 1,2)

2. Impact of Disasters on the Education Sector in Lao PDR: NDMO, MOES, ECHO, UNDP, ADPC, RCC. 2008 (Pillars 1,2,3)

3. Draft Education Sector Disaster Management Plan. MOES, 2004 (Pillars 1,2,3)

4. Impact of Disasters on the Education Sector in Lao PDR. NDMO, MOES, ECHO, UNDP, ADPC, RCC. 2008 (Pillars 1,2,3)

5. Mainstreaming DRR in the Education Sector in Lao PDR. ADPC, MOES, NDMO, EC, UNDP. 2008 (Pillars 1,2,3)

3. Guidelines and Standards used by MOES for DRR and CSS in Lao PDR (cont.)

6. National School Construction Guidelines, Department of Finance, MOES 2009 (Pillars 1,3)

7. A National Risk Profile of Lao PDR, 2010 developed by UNDP, ADPC, NAMO (2010) . Used as a reference point (Pillar 2)

8. Lao PDR National Disaster Management Handbook, NDMO (2014). (Pillar 2

Some achievements: 1.MoES has strong Policy and Legal Framework for Comprehensive

School Safety;

2. A clear structure of responsibility for DRR/M at National, Provincial,

District and Village levels;

3.A variety of DRR/M activities are being undertaken by MoES;

4.A complementary primary and secondary education programs to

increase disaster preparedness among students,

5. Upgrading of school infrastructure, and building of new school

structures in line with safe school guidelines.

IV. DRR/M at School Level

IV. DRR/M at School Level (cont.)

Some achievements (cont’ed)

6. Over 500 Schools in remote areas are being built or improved

following the School Construction Manual guidelines;

7. The integration of DRR into school curriculum;

8. School-based volunteer teams and extra-curricular activities

conducted;

9. Adapting and piloting the CSS School-Based Self-Assessment

Survey Tool (CSS-SSAS).

10. The Education Management and Information System (EMIS) has

been improved.

V. Challenges

1. Although there is now a decree in place to ensure CSS and DRR are integrated into the education sector, and a workshop was organized to discuss how to implement the decree, MoES needs additional funds to be able to integrate the comments and revise the decree, with input from MoNRE.

2. DRR/M is not yet mainstreamed into each MoES department as the capacity to create plans based on DRR/M policies and regulations requires strengthening.

V. Challenges (cont.)

3. Currently, there are no specific tools used to monitor progress toward DRR integration in the Education sector due to the lack of indicators.

4. There is still important data not yet collected and integrated into the EMIS database. The database for infrastructure is currently not functioning, and school construction and maintenance are not integrated yet.

1. A clear system for planning, budgeting and monitoring for DRR/M specific activity has progressed at Village and School level through Socio-Economic Development Plans; however, within MoES, National and Provincial level plans and budgets do not specifically reflect DRR/M Policy and Law.

2. More support and effort will be required to integrate and strengthen systems for planning, budgeting and monitoring DRR/M progress.

3. Key MoES staff who work for DRR/M are required to strengthen their capacity to support the robust MoES DRR/M policy, but there is a lack of operational capacity and budget for training and implementation.

VI. Recommendations

Thank you for your kind attention!