CARIBBEAN SAFE SCHOOL INITIATIVE (CSSI)

Second Caribbean Ministerial Forum on School Safety

2nd Caribbean Safe School Ministerial Forum

The Second Caribbean Ministerial School Safety Forum was be hosted by the Ministry of Education, National Reconciliation, Ecclesiastical Affairs and Information in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on 29 and 30 April 2019 in Kingstown. The Forum was organized by the Ministry in close collaboration with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (Unicef), the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). The organization of the Forum was made possible thanks to the financial support by the Department of the European Commission for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO).

The Second Ministerial Forum on School Safety in the Caribbean is a follow-up on the Forum held in April 2017. It responded to the need for a collaborative and coordinated approach among actors in the region's education sector. It contribute to: CDEMA's Regional Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) Strategy and its Programming Framework 2014-2024; UNISDR's Worldwide Initiative for Safe Schools (WISS); the Caribbean Safe School Initiative; the Samoa Action Plan for SIDS, the Global Action Program on Education for Sustainable Development; the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, and to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The forum was also linked to the youth forum "My Island, my Life", held during the days leading up to the Ministerial Forum and which included representatives from various Caribbean countries. It identified safety issues around the 3 pillars and its conclusions and recommendations were presented during the Ministerial Forum.

Objectives

To update the Caribbean Regional Roadmap on school safety
To facilitate adherence to the Antigua and Barbuda Declaration on School Safety and Regional Roadmap implementation by additional member states.
To monitor progress and achievements in the implementation of the Caribbean Regional Roadmap on School Safety
To promote and raise awareness of the World Initiative on Safe Schools and the Caribbean Schools Safety Initiative
To promote the engagement of Youth in the CSSI
facilitate a Ministerial Dialogue with donors on support for the Caribbean Safe Schools Initiative

Expected outcomes

Caribbean Regional Roadmap on Schools Safety Updated
Adherence to the Antigua and Barbuda Declaration on School Safety by additional member states
Progress report on the implementation of the Caribbean Regional Road map on School Safety
Awareness of the Caribbean School Safety initiative and the World Initiative on School Safety raised
Youth contributions to the Caribbean Regional Road map on School Safety harnessed
Donor support for the Caribbean Safe Schools Initiative identified
Inputs for the Global Platform 2019 and Regional Platform 2020 defined
New Chair of the Caribbean Safe Schools Initiative and next host state identified

Participants

The Forum targeted primarily Ministries of Education, Ministers themselves, as well as technical advisors; and national disaster management agencies. In addition, regional organizations that support the implementation of School Safety in the Caribbean participated as well.

Considering that relevant work has been undertaken by many Caribbean countries in enhancing School Safety, the Forum focused on CDEMA Participating States and other countries in the Caribbean, denoting an important step forward from the First Ministerial Forum.

The forum aligned with sustainability principles with green measure to reduce the carbon foot print (such as reduce the use of printed material, no plastic in catering service among others).

Updated Caribbean Regional Roadmap on Schools Safety (2019)

The ‘Caribbean Roadmap for School Safety’, was initially developed during the ‘First Caribbean Ministerial Forum on School Safety’ in 2017 and later updated in 2019 during the ‘Second Caribbean Ministerial Forum on School Safety’. Prior to the second Ministerial Forum, a regional monitoring effort was made, which informed decision-making during the event. The outcomes of the monitoring are captured in the forum report.

The roadmap is structured in line with the three Pillars of the Comprehensive School Safety framework, plus its “Enabling Environment”. While priority areas identified in 2017 didn’t undergo any changes, regional and national activities were reviewed, amended or added to better reflect the required areas of focus to advance school safety in the region. Furthermore, means to ‘localize’ the roadmap were introduced by incorporating blank planning columns to be completed at country and/or institutional level. It is expected this will improve the planning, monitoring, evaluation and reporting of Roadmap activities.

Documentation

Documents related to the updated Caribbean Regional Roadmap on Schools Safety can be found here

Second Caribbean Ministerial Forum on School Safety

Second Caribbean Ministerial Forum on School Safety

Objectives

Expected outcomes

Participants

Updated Caribbean Regional Roadmap on Schools Safety (2019)

Documentation

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