Schools at the Centre of Resilience: Asia-Pacific Stakeholders Commit to Advancing Disaster Preparedness Through Education

March 5, 2026

Why should disaster preparedness begin in classrooms? This question was at the heart of the side event “Building a Culture of Preparedness for a Sustainable Future for All” held during the 13th Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD). The event was organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Government of Japan, in collaboration with the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), UNESCO, the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (UNESCO-IOC), and JICA. Speakers and participants reflected on UNDP’s efforts using schools as an entry to build wider community resilience across the region.

The dialogue on reshaping resilience drew on lessons from nearly a decade of school-based tsunami preparedness supported by the UNDP–Government of Japan Regional Tsunami Project. Since 2017, the project has applied Japan’s approach to build a culture of preparedness by embedding tsunami awareness and safe evacuation practices into school. To date, around 800 schools in 24 Asia-Pacific countries have participated in tsunami drills, engaging around 221,000 students, teachers, local officials, and community members. These efforts were made possible through the strong commitment of and collaboration with local champions, including teachers, community leaders, government officials, and journalists, as well as the close coordination with other agencies, including JICA, ESCAP, UNESCO-IOC, UNESCO, and UNDRR.

In the opening remarks, Mr. Tatsushi NISHIOKA, Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission and Permanent Representative to ESCAP, Embassy of Japan reflected on the lessons Japan has learned from decades of disasters: “In Japan, decades of experience with tsunamis and other disasters have taught us a simple lesson:

"in emergencies, people must know what to do, almost by muscle memory. For this to work, preparedness must be part of everyday life. It must feel normal.”

He highlighted why schools play such a critical role: by integrating preparedness into daily routines, drills and education systems, students and teachers develop the confidence and instinctive responses needed to act quickly and safely when disasters strike.

Voices from local champions and regional partners

During the side event, teachers, local leaders, and community members shared real-life experiences from implementing school-based preparedness measures, demonstrating the power of schools to build wider community resilience.

Teacher Prach Sawangpong from Rajaprajanugroh 35 School in Khao Lak, Phang Nga province, Thailand shares:

“As a result of the support from the Tsunami Project, the school has gained the trust and recognition of the community in organizing practical evacuation planning. Recognizing this potential, Phang Nga Province appointed our school as an official Evacuation Center during disasters.”

Similarly, Ms. Ade Maya Amyana, Headmaster of the School for Students with Disabilities (SLB 3) in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, highlighted how strengthened collaboration between schools and communities can reinforce preparedness efforts:

“As the communication between the school and school committee strengthened, we will build a synergy between the school preparedness plan and community preparedness plan. Nothing can stop us from making sure the school is prepared and our students feel safe and empowered. We must act now.”

Speakers highlighted that schools are not only educational institutions but trusted anchors for disaster preparedness within their communities. By integrating preparedness into school plans and evacuation drills, students become advocates for preparedness, sharing knowledge with their families and community. Schools also leverage their visibility and trust to unite communities and serve as hubs for multi-stakeholder coordination, strengthening local response capacities and ensuring a more effective, collective approach to disaster resilience.

Beyond the school environment, these efforts are also influencing how communities engage with disaster preparedness more broadly. Mr. I Putu Suta Wijaya (Suta), Head of Disaster Risk Reduction Forum Bali, Indonesia, reflected on the importance of making preparedness conversations more accessible:

“I want people to talk about disasters in a fun way. Disaster itself is already a heavy topic, not to mention sadness and victims. Through Bali DRR Forum, we want to find different and yet innovative ways to learn about disaster preparedness. This is how we worked with UNDP to organise the Tsunami Amazing Race”

From the government perspective, Mr. Soranat Luesopon, Director of the Community Engagement Section at the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), Thailand, emphasised the importance of partnerships in strengthening disaster preparedness:

“To achieve that goal, we cannot do it by ourselves. It cannot be achieved by any single individual or any single organization. We need friends to do it, internationally and locally” he noted.

He highlighted Thailand’s long-standing commitment to community-based disaster risk management, which empowers local communities and ensures that no one is left behind, while recognising children and youth not only as the future but as active partners in strengthening disaster preparedness today. The discussion also highlighted the important role of journalists in communicating disaster risks and preparedness to the public.

Ms. Nittaya Keeratisermsin, journalist at ThaiPBS and participant in the UNDP Thailand Media Fellowship supported by the UNDP Regional Tsunami Project “Frontlines of Crisis: Journalism for Inclusive Disaster Resilience” highlighted how journalists can help translate complex disaster issues into stories that resonate with communities. Through the fellowship, journalists collaborated with Japanese experts and other media professionals, gaining insights across disaster preparedness, response, resilience, and recovery. She described the programme as an important platform for journalists to better understand disaster risks, identify policy gaps, and strengthen evidence-based reporting that can support advocacy and informed decision-making on disaster preparedness.

Looking Ahead: Sustaining Preparedness Beyond the Project

Based on the lessons learned from the Regional Tsunami Project, UNDP, ESCAP, UNESCO-IOC, and UNESCO are collaborating to support schools to be better connected to early warning systems, by developing a Regional Roadmap on Tsunami Early Warnings and Education. As Tiziana Bonapace, Director of the Information and Communications Technology and Disaster Risk Reduction Division at ESCAP highlighted on behalf of the four UN agencies:

“Together, this (collaboration) creates real synergy, allowing us to align regional policy, technical systems, and country-level implementation, and to strengthen the link between warning systems, schools, and communities…This is the work we will take forward together, as UNDP, ESCAP, UNESCO-IOC, and UNESCO, to better support the needs of our Member States.”

As the Regional Tsunami Project draws to a close, the discussions reaffirmed that preparedness is not a one-off activity, but a continuous partnership process with local communities, schools, and regional partners. By placing schools at the heart of disaster risk reduction, Asia-Pacific countries are building a culture of preparedness and ensuring that communities are better prepared for disasters, today and into the future.