Perspectives of children must be taken into account to ensure disaster risk reduction talks succeed

• Annually 175 million children are affected by disasters; last year alone nearly 9 million were forced out of school.
• World Vision is calling for the Hyogo Framework for Action 2 to ensure children’s unique perspectives are included in disaster risk reduction plans

As leaders gather for the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai, Japan –nearby the site of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that resulted in the deaths of over 400 children and left tens of thousands more displaced –World Vision is warning the experiences of children must be taken into account to ensure Hyogo Framework for Action 2 talks succeed.

Children’s experiences of natural hazards are different to those of adults, yet this is rarely considered by decision makers.

The relief and development organisation says children’s experiences of natural hazards –175 million children are affected each year –are different to those of adults, yet this is rarely considered by decision makers. World Vision says the new Hyogo plan to tackle disaster risk reduction, being decided in Sendai from 14-18 March, must ensure children are consulted and their unique needs addressed.

“Children and young people are the best authorities on their own lives. Allowing them to meaningfully influence disaster risk reduction strengthens the ability of communities to adapt, prepare for and respond to natural and social hazards,” says World Vision’s director of disaster risk reduction, Richard Rumsey.

“World Vision has seen first-hand in places like Myanmar, Bolivia and Ethiopia the value of working with children to shape disaster risk reduction programmes."

“World Vision has seen first-hand in places like Myanmar, Bolivia and Ethiopia the value of working with children to shape disaster risk reduction programmes. In the slums of Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa we worked with children to identify the risks they faced, which in turn led to local authorities taking action to address the dangers,”he says.

World Vision is also calling for urgent action to ensure children can access education during emergencies. The organisation says schools provide children with stability, structure and a safe haven throughout a disaster.

“Education about risk can protect children and mitigate the impact of disasters. During the Fukushima nuclear disaster that followed the 2011 earthquake, 38 schools were forced to relocate, disrupting the lives of tens of thousands of children. Leaders meeting in nearby Sendai cannot allow this lesson to be forgotten,”says Rumsey.  

World Vision is also calling for urgent action to ensure children can access education during emergencies

 “We believe decision makers in Sendai must adopt the Comprehensive School Safety Framework. This is a global strategy to ensure that school facilities are safe, teachers and students are well prepared and children learn about disaster risk awareness.”

World Vision child ambassadors from Indonesia and Mongolia will be at an event in Sendai on Tuesday, March 17 called Don’t Decide my Future without Me. At the event, young people from around the world will share their experiences of preparing for natural and man-made hazards and call for decision makers to commit to a child-centred Hyogo Framework for Action 2.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

For more information and to arrange interviews in Sendai with Richard Rumsey, contact:

Henry Makiwa, Media Strategy Manager, Work Vision UK, Mobile: +44 (0)7469 154268
E-mail: henry.makiwa@worldvision.org.uk I Skype: Soshangana I Twitter: @makiwahenry

World Vision

World Vision is a global Christian relief, development and advocacy organisation dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice.

The Hyogo Framework for Action 2

The Hyogo Framework for Action was the first plan to detail the work required to reduce disaster losses. It was developed and agreed on by governments, international agencies, disaster experts and others following the 2004 South Asia Tsunami. The Hyogo Framework for Action 2, being decided at the World Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction, will look to build upon the progress made in the first framework by tackling the underlying factors that intensify risks during disasters. Find out more.

The post-2015 development agenda and disaster risk reduction

World Vision believes to build a fairer future for every child, the post-2015 development agenda must aim to reach the world’s most vulnerable children and ensure that success is measured through the impact it has on them. This is particularly critical given that disasters disproportionately impact children, and children’s vulnerability is increasing as more grow up in hazard-prone locations. Find out more.