BY NED GAGAHE
UNICEF has reaffirms its strong commitment to support climate-smart education in Solomon Islands, describing the launch of the School-Based Disaster and Climate Resilience (SBDCR) Planning initiative as a key milestone in building safer schools and stronger communities.
Speaking during the official launch event held yesterday at Mbalasuna Primary School, UNICEF Solomon Islands Climate and Environment Specialist, Daeun Han, applauded the partnership between UNICEF, the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development (MEHRD), Guadalcanal Provincial Government, and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), for making the initiative possible.
“Thanks to our partnership with KOICA, UNICEF is proud to support the Solomon Islands Government in building climate resilience for children and their communities,” she said.
Han emphasized that the program is part of a broader push towards gender-responsive, inclusive, and low-carbon development pathways that reduce vulnerabilities and safeguard the future of children.
A central focus of this collaboration is advancing climate-smart education services, which includes integrating climate change into curriculum and teaching, and ensuring that education systems are prepared for and resilient to climate-related shocks.
“Children must not only learn about climate risks, but also gain the skills to act on them. Embedding resilience into education empowers both schools and students to respond confidently to the growing challenges of climate change,” Han stated.
She described the SBDCR Planning program as a “practical and impactful step” towards this goal, as it provides school leaders, teachers, and students with tools and systems to better respond to disasters and climate hazards.
The program aligns with national disaster and climate policies, reinforcing schools as both safe spaces and centres of community resilience.
Beyond the 13 schools selected for the pilot in Guadalcanal, UNICEF believes the initiative will spark transformational change, supporting stronger climate policies and more inclusive institutions across the education sector.
Han thanks MEHRD and Guadalcanal Province for their leadership in the rollout of the initiative and expressed optimism for the future.
“We are not just building safer schools—we are nurturing a generation that is more prepared, more resilient, and more hopeful in the face of climate change,” she said.
The launch marks the beginning of a four-day training for school leaders and community representatives, and is expected to serve as a model for other provinces as the program expands nationwide.
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