Strengthening Capacity in Emergency Preparedness and Response for Children in China and Beyond
Climate change, conflict, and epidemics: the world is facing increasingly frequent emergencies that put vulnerable groups – especially children – at risk.
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Climate change, conflict, and epidemics: the world is facing increasingly frequent emergencies that put vulnerable groups – especially children – at risk. Before, during and after these emergencies UNICEF is fulfilling our core commitments to children. In partnership with the Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM) of China, UNICEF is working to strengthen emergency preparedness and response at the country level.
MEM and UNICEF organized a 4.5 day Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) and Training of Trainers training at the University of Emergency Management (which is in the process of being prepared for launch), from 24-28 July. A total of 31 participants from the MEM, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the National Health Commission, the China Meteorological Bureau, the National Working Committee on Children and Women, the Red Cross Society of China, the China Earthquake Rescue Center, Tsinghua University, Beijing Normal University, the North China Institute of Science and Technology, the China Fire and Rescue Institute, the Emergency General Hospital and other organizations and agencies participated in the training.
Professor Xu Li, member of the senior leadership at the University of Emergency Management (in preparation) facilitated the opening ceremony. He introduced the university, and its goal of creating a centre for talent cultivation, scientific innovation and educational training in emergency management. Professor Li also highlighted its function as a centre for knowledge sharing, international cooperation and as a think tank for emergency management in China. Mr. Li Shengli, Deputy Director General of the Department of International Cooperation and Rescue, MEM, and Patrick Shing, Deputy Representative a.i. of UNICEF China, addressed the participants during the opening.
“In recent years, MEM and UNICEF have carried out policy dialogues, expert exchanges, capacity building, etc., achieving excellent results. In 2021, the two sides signed a two-year rolling work plan aiming at sharing knowledge and building capacity in child-centred disaster risk reduction. We have developed materials and provided training to developing countries relating to innovative technology in disaster risk reduction. And this training course is another important activity to implement the work plan. Emergency preparedness and response is an important part of emergency management and a key part of responding to emergencies... …I hope that through this training, colleagues will further enhance emergency awareness, improve capabilities, and make contributions to China's emergency management in the future.”
Emergency preparedness significantly enhances the ability to meet the increasing expectations, not only saving lives, but making our emergency operations faster, greener and more cost-efficient. We hope that by completing the training of trainers session, you will be more accountable for providing your knowledge and experiences to inform and support your respective institutes and partners to understand the roles and responsibilities to ensure more effective humanitarian actions for children.
Louise Gorton, Regional Emergency Specialist and Elena del Fabbro, Regional Emergency Preparedness and Response Specialist from the UNICEF Regional Office for East Asia and the Pacific introduced fundamental concepts of humanitarian actions, international standards, sectoral preparedness and response, monitoring and evaluation methodology, supply and logistics management, and overarching areas in emergencies including gender equality and inclusiveness of people with disabilities. The training of trainers equipped the participants with skills for the next steps in rolling out training in China’s emergency response system.
Some trainees shared their feedback:
“When I did research or training on disaster prevention and mitigation, we might have done it from a very macro perspective. However, this training specifically looked at the vulnerable groups such as children, women, and people with disabilities from the perspective of how they are different, what they suffer, and what kind of help they need during a disaster.”
“The ball-throwing and role-playing impressed me. The games gave me a sense of being in the disaster, that I was the one affected by the disaster. I really felt it when the disaster kept coming again and again, and the difficulties I encountered were multiplied.”
“As humanitarian response organizations, we share the same values. For example, the focus on vulnerable groups. Children and women are the most vulnerable groups among the affected population, so they need special focus.”
“We’ve set up many courses such as emergency decision making, emergency command, emergency response, emergency plan development and emergency supply chain. Now we can apply the principles and the specific methodologies that are relevant to humanitarian operations learned from this training to our courses. “
“The interactive teaching method enables us to discuss together and makes us feel included. This leads to a satisfactory result.”
“Part of my job is to provide training to our local emergency management officials. I can directly add some of the content that I have learned here to our training courses in the future.”
“Through this training, I can pass on the knowledge to all of my trainees that they need to pay attention to the special needs of children, women and people with disabilities in the search and rescue process.”
The training was concluded by the member of the senior leadership of the University of Emergency Management (in preparation), Vice President of the North China Institute of Science and Technology, Professor Zou Guanghua.
“…although the training is over, the task of emergency preparedness and response is not finished. Our university will turn the insights gained from the training into practical actions and participate more actively in emergency preparedness and response work and optimize education in emergency management, and provide relevant courses and trainings to students and emergency management officials.”
UNICEF's humanitarian action for children focuses on interventions that save lives, alleviate suffering, maintain human dignity and protect the rights of children defined within the core commitments for children.