Development of norms & standards
	Most agencies working in the field of emergency education have developed or are developing independent sets of guidelines and standards. This situation is unsatisfactory, leading to confusion at field and donor level, when different standards are used in adjacent locations. Recent and forthcoming international seminars have sought or will seek to identify basic principles to be observed for education in situations of emergency. UNESCO will refine these norms and standards further, proceeding to the level of detailing specific indicators and guidelines, concerning, inter alia: - protection of at-risk children, child and staff security - schools (reconstruction/rehabilitation of buildings, including disaster reductions and climatic hazards) - education supplies and equipment - curriculum and methods - assessment and certification - in-service and pre-service teacher training - gender equity and sensitivity.

 

This work is undertaken in collaboration with the Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE), with consensual standards and guidelines. These guidelines may feed into the ‘Sphere project’, which documents minimum standards in disaster response accepted by the NGO community and by concerned United Nations agencies. This is linked to the development of norms and standards within the framework of the UN Disaster Reduction Initiative. UNESCO is working with UN agencies and INEE to develop a reference library of good practice teaching/learning materials and manuals, suited for use in situations of crisis and post-conflict reconstruction, education for peace and citizenship, health education (HIV/AIDS awareness), environmental education, and the training of teachers and youth educators in situations of crisis and emergency. UNESCO will support the work in this area, hosting experts’ meetings editing guidelines and improving learning/teaching materials development.