Education in Emergencies Coordination

Learning Objectives At the end of this session, participants will be able to: Explain the purpose, benefits and challenges of education sector coordination in emergency responses. Understand that good coordination assists and supports the duty bearer (MOE) to provide education services in a crisis situation. State the objectives of the cluster approach in emergency response and be aware the roles and responsibilities of the Education Cluster co-lead agencies (Save the Children and UNICEF) and Education Cluster members. INEE and Global Education Cluster

Benefits Challenges Joint planning and strategy Avoids overlap, duplication of efforts and activities Maximises resources Division of responsibility and geographic coverage Strengthens advocacy and mobilisation of resources Strengthens support for government Can lead to standardisation of approaches, tools, and implementation Greater community participation Challenges Lack of clear definitions of roles and responsibilities Lack of leadership skills Weak meeting & planning Lack of joint objectives No communication and information strategies in data and information management Duplication of effort Personality clashes Competing agency agendas, mandates or strategies Too process-orientated Resource constraints Lack of accountability INEE and Global Education Cluster

Humanitarian Coordination The Concept: Orderly & Hierarchical lines of: Authority Communication Reporting Clear roles & division of labor Expected to be efficient INEE and Global Education Cluster

Humanitarian Coordination The Reality: Dynamic & Messy Non-hierarchical Multiple lines of communication & reporting Overlapping roles, role-service gaps A “Network” INEE and Global Education Cluster

The Cluster Approach The result of an IASC major reform process (2005) to improve predictability, timeliness, and effectiveness of response to humanitarian crises. Primary mechanism for inter-agency coordination of humanitarian assistance to support national governments. The IASC formally established global cluster for education in 2006 Some countries have established official Education Cluster in response to emergencies, others have alternative sector coordination mechanism - such as EiE WG or sub-group of SWAp - others have built on existing sector coordination groups INEE and Global Education Cluster

Aims and Application of Cluster Approach High standards of predictability, accountability and partnership in all sectors or areas of activity Better linkages with Government/national authorities More strategic responses Better prioritisation of available resources The cluster approach is applied during emergency response to both natural and man-made disasters AND for contingency planning INEE and Global Education Cluster

Cluster Approach to Humanitarian Action Key Pillar of Humanitarian Reform: CLUSTER APPROACH Ensure sector capacity, predictability, accountability, leadership, & quality response HUMANITARIAN COORDINATORS Provide effective leadership, strategic coordination in emergencies HUMANITARIAN FINANCING Ensure predictable, fast and flexible funding PARTNERSHIP Strong consistent partnership between Gov, UN, NGOs, CBOs, etc. INEE and Global Education Cluster

Clusters and Lead Agencies Lead Agency Agriculture FAO Camp Coordination and Management UNHCR & IOM Early Recovery UNDP Education UNICEF & Save the Children Emergency Shelter UNHCR & IFRC Emergency Telecommunications OCHA Health WHO Logistics WFP Nutrition UNICEF Protection UNHCR Water Sanitation Hygiene (WASH) INEE and Global Education Cluster

Global Level Clusters Global level Global cluster leads Strengthen system-wide preparedness and technical capacity to respond to emergencies by designating global cluster leads accountable for ensuring predictable and effective inter-agency responses within sectors Global cluster leads Save the Children and UNICEF have agreed to take on a joint lead role in the Education Cluster at global level and in many countries at the national and field levels. INEE and Global Education Cluster

Country Level Responsibilities Ensures a more effective response capacity by mobilising clusters of agencies, with clearly designated lead, as agreed by the Humanitarian Coordinator and the Country Team, in line with the cluster lead arrangements at the global level. TOR for Cluster Leads Key partners Coordination Planning & strategy Information management Standards Monitoring & reporting Advocacy & resource mobilization Training & capacity building Provider of last resort INEE and Global Education Cluster

The Global Education Cluster Established in 2006 as a unique co lead arrangement between a UN Agency and NGO Developed a strong partnership through ECWG, with 28 global partners committed 42 countries have seen education clusters activated, 29 have UN-NGO co-leadership at national level Education Cluster Unit based in Geneva with four full time staff and admin support UNICEF and Save the Children restructuring to better support humanitarian response

Support for the Ministry of Education Supporting the Ministry of Education in coordinating the emergency response Encouraging and training the MoE to play an active leading role in coordination Improving partnerships among all education stakeholders Facilitating information sharing, joint programming and shared technical expertise Strengthening MOE mechanisms and capacity for response coordination at national and local levels INEE and Global Education Cluster

Examples of Where Education Clusters Have Been Established Pakistan Earthquake response Madagascar Cyclone response Lebanon Middle east conflict Mozambique Flood and cyclone Myanmar Cyclone response Kenya Conflict Ethiopia Drought Somalia Complex emergency Uganda Conflict / complex emergency Gaza OPT/Israel conflict Haiti Earthquake Burundi Flood and general preparedness Zimbabwe Socio-political crisis INEE and Global Education Cluster

Education Cluster - Response Rapid Deployments in 2011 to Kenya, Ethiopia, occupied Palestinian territories (oPt), Ivory Coast, Liberia, Somalia Includes cluster coordinators, Information management and needs assessment specialists Long term cluster coordinators in Haiti, South Sudan, Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Pakistan, oPt, Zimbabwe Support visits in 2011/12 to Haiti, Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Pakistan

Education Cluster – Building Capacity Tools Developed: Cluster Coordinator Manual, Joint Education Needs Assessment Toolkit, Contingency Planning Guidance Training: over 300 cluster coordinators trained, over 3,000 people trained in education in emergencies at country level, needs assessment training package developed – latest module on Human Rights and Accountability Partnership in the development and sharing of tools and resources with the INEE applying the INEE Minimum Standards

Funding Challenges INEE and Global Education Cluster

Plenary Discussion What are the most important elements of education sector/cluster coordination? What are the consequences of waiting until an emergency occurs to undertake coordination actions? What are the consequences of not linking emergency coordination groups with existing education sector groups? What are the most important coordination actions to be taken prior to the onset of an emergency? What do you see as the weaknesses of the current mechanisms? INEE and Global Education Cluster