UNESCO-European Union Partnership

Cooperation between UNESCO and the European Commission’s Humanitarian aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO) has developed significantly under the Disaster Preparedness Programme (DIPECHO) and under prevention and preparedness programme (Civil Protection).
Between 2010 and 2016, ECHO and UNESCO invested EUR 5M towards building resilience and preparedness at community level and support national policies to move forward effective and sustainable early warning systems and risk reduction educational tools.   
Moreover, ECHO also supported the establishment of the Tsunami Information Centre for the North-Eastern Atlantic, Mediterranean and connected seas (NEAMTIC), as well as The second tsunami warning and communication exercise (NEAMWave 14) held in October 2014 under the ECHO Civil Protection Programme.

Several initiatives have been led by UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in Latin America and the Caribbean, based in Santiago de Chile - from the reinforcement of Early Warning Systems to projects focusing on Disaster Risk Reduction.

The project “More education, less risk: Strengthening disaster risk reduction and resilience through education” is currently implemented in a consortium with Save the Children and Plan international. The objective is to pave the way for the establishment of a culture of safety and resilience through education for disaster risk reduction and to promote a safe and stimulating educational environment within the region.

Previous projects:

•  Disaster Risk Reduction through education and science in Colombia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru” - DIPECHO Project (2014-2015), that sought to strengthen the disaster risk reduction skills of professionals, specialists, institutions as well as educational communities through education and science, working directly to coordinate with national risk management systems in these countries

•  Strengthening of the Regional Tsunami Early Warning System: preparations in Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru (2012-2013) that aimed to provide a support to governments in reducing the vulnerability of coastal regions when faced with a tsunami, for instance.

Other examples of projects

• National institutions prepared and communities resilient to earthquakes and tsunamis in urban environments in the province of Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic (2013-2015) implemented by UNDP and UNESCO, including IOC of UNESCO

• Consolidating Haitian capacities for tsunami early warning and preparedness (2013-2014) implemented by the UNESCO Office in Haiti together with IOC of UNESCO

• Strengthening Early Warning Systems in Central America from a multi-threat perspective (2010-2013)  implemented by UNESCO through its Cluster Office in San José