Emergency preparedness
The planning in the MENA region intends to provide a solid platform for current and future emergencies as well as for early recovery work in the three countries of operations.
The focus will be on Lebanon and Yemen as potential MM countries under SCS lead. SCS seeks to ensure that child rights are respected during emergency situations through the timely and effective development and implementation of emergency preparedness plans.
Strengthening the capacities of staff, partners and active Alliance members in the region as well as other actors involved with children is foreseen with a view to create a platform for rapid and informed responses. SCS will be the lead in Lebanon and Yemen where EPP work has already started. Joint Alliance identification of priorities has been undertaken in these countries. These include protection and emergency education and the distribution of NFIs. After four years, SCS MENA will have a set methodology for child-led disaster reduction in emergencies as well as a system for developing local EPPs in vulnerable socio-economic and emergency prone areas, be it man-made or natural disasters. The regional component of the emergency preparedness TP lies in the inter-linkages that are created amongst the three countries.
Approaches
A clear CRC and CRP approach is the basis of the Emergency TP. The focus will be on capacity building of staff, partners and duty bearers in CRC/CRP in emergencies; working through and with partners in the geographical areas of crisis; and piloting child-led disaster reduction plans. Actions will also focus on building child-friendly environments through a community-based approach and leading to community-based protection networks, either as part of an existing national protection system or, over time, in support to such a system. The TP also includes an important advocacy component seeking to ensure that the right to education in emergency contexts is respected at the earliest stage possible. SCS will act as a lead in the education cluster in cooperation with UNICEF. Last but not least, the approach underlying the TP is to establish, as of the beginning and whenever possible, a link between emergency and early recovery work to development initiatives.