Standard operating procedures for disasters and emergencies in schools
Standard operating procedures for emergencies and disasters for schools are an essential part of school disaster management policy. They are a set of written and required safety procedures to be known and followed by all school workers and students, in the event of disasters or emergencies.
These standard operating procedures are designed to be a template for national or sub-national education authorities to adapt and adopt as standard guidance for all primary and junior schools.
They can be used alongside the preparedness checklist for schools and the emergency provisions checklist for schools available below.
Learn more about how communities can prepare for disasters.
And find out more about disaster risk reduction in the education sector on theGlobal Alliance for Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience in the Education Sectorwebsite.
Safe and Dignified Burial: An Implementation Guide for Field Managers
Safe and dignified burials (SDB) for people who die during disease outbreaks help prevent further transmission of deadly viruses and ensure that the personal wishes of bereaved families and communities are considered and included.
This IFRC guide provides practical and easy-to-follow guidance on how to establish and run SDB programmes, with a particular focus on Ebola and Marburg. It is also a useful resource for emergency preparedness in countries at risk from these deadly diseases.
REACH initiative overview
This document provides an overview and background to the Resilient and Empowered African Community Health (REACH) initiative of the IFRC and Africa CDC.
Empress Shôken Fund announces grants for 2019
About the Fund
The Empress Shôken Fundis named after Her Majesty The Empress of Japan, who proposed – at the 9th International Conference of the Red Cross – the creation of an international fund to promote relief work in peacetime. It is administered by the Joint Commission of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross, which maintains close contact with the Japanese Permanent Mission in Geneva, the Japanese Red Cross Society and the Meiji Jingu Research Institute in Japan.
The Fund has a total value of over 15 million Swiss francsand supports projects run by National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to benefit their communities in various ways. The first grant was awarded in 1921, to help five European National Societies fight the spread of tuberculosis. The Fund has assisted more than 150 National Societies thus far.
The imperial family, the Japanese government, the Japanese RedCrossand the Japanese people revere the memory of Her Majesty Empress Shôken, and their enduring regard for the Fund isevident inthe regularity of their contributions to it.
The grants are usually announced every year on11April, the anniversary of her death. This yearthe announcement isbeingpublished earlierdue to the weekend.
The selection process
The Fund received 47 applications in 2019, covering a diverse range of humanitarian projects run by National Societies in every region of the world. This year the Joint Commission agreed to allocate a total of 395,782 CHF to 14 projects in Bolivia, Cyprus, Guinea-Bissau, Iraq, Lebanon, Mexico, Mozambique, Sao Tome and Principe, Singapore, Slovenia, Suriname, Thailand, Ukraine and Vanuatu.
The projects to be supported in 2019 cover a number of themes, including displaced people, disaster preparedness in vulnerable communities, and social cohesion and inclusion. Moreover, nearly all of the selected projects seek to strengthen the volunteer base of National Societies, with a view to building on the unique role played by the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in communities everywhere.
Going forward, the Joint Commission will continue to focus on innovative projects that are geared towards learning so that the broader Movement canbenefit from project findings.
The 2019 grants
The Bolivian Red Cross is currently working to address the issue of gender-based violence among young people. It will use the grant to set up a permanent programme for schools and youth organizations in order to conduct educational sessions, raise awareness, and provide support and assistance to victims of violence.
Cyprus has become an important destination for trans-Mediterranean migration. Using the grant, the Cyprus Red Cross Society will train refugees and asylum seekers in standard and psychological first aid to enable members of the migrant community to help each other and relieve some of the pressure on the health-care sector.
The Red Cross Society of Guinea-Bissau will use the grant to strengthen the resilience of coastal communities threatened by extreme weather. The funds will go towards drawing up an emergency action plan, building up stocks of relief items and training at-risk communities so that they can respond rapidly in times of need.
In Iraq, displaced people and those living in remote areas have limited access to water, sanitary facilities and health care, which increases the risk that diseases such as cholera will spread. The Iraqi Red Crescent Society will use the grant to set up a health-education programme to raise children’s awareness of communicable diseases and the importance of personal hygiene.
The conflict in Syria has significantly increased the number of refugees in Lebanon, which has put a strain on blood-related services in the country. The Lebanese Red Cross is a major provider of these services and will use the grant to enhance its ability to deliver them free of charge to all those in need.
Hundreds of schools in Mexico were damaged by a major earthquake in 2017. The grant will help the Mexican Red Cross to set up a programme to prepare school communities for disasters and other emergencies, promote healthy lifestyles and develop skills to facilitate peaceful co-existence.
Young people account for more than 70% of the volunteers of the Mozambique Red Cross. The National Society will therefore use the grant to strengthen its youth-oriented initiatives by running training camps and information campaigns, and setting up Red Cross activities in schools.
In 2004, the Sao Tome and Principe Red Cross opened a social home for the elderly, which plays an important role in reducing this community’s vulnerability. The grant will allow the National Society to renovate the building and improve the services on offer.
The Singapore Red Cross Society runs a large-scale programme to deploy volunteers overseas during disasters. It will use the grant to scale up the training programme for these volunteers, adding more specialized and in-depth training and team-building sessions to ensure the volunteers can work as effectively as possible.
The Slovenian Red Cross plans to take an innovative approach to social cohesion by tackling hate speech and its consequences, with a special emphasis on hate speech against migrants. The grant will go towards a training programme within schools, designed to encourage students to become young cultural ambassadors and further spread the message.
The Suriname Red Cross Society will use the grant to address disaster preparedness in vulnerable schools in Paramaribo. The National Society will help schools and communities to draw up disaster plans, deliver first-aid training to teachers, and set up and train school emergency brigades made up of teachers and students.
The Thai Red Cross Society has a proven track record in conducting water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) activities in emergencies, through its widespread network of registered nurses. It will use the grant to scale up this campaign, as well as to create a WASH manual, together with general and menstrual hygiene kits.
The armed conflict in Ukraine has led to a substantial rise in the number of volunteers working for the Ukrainian Red Cross Society. The grant will go towards a new, more sophisticated system for registering, managing and training the National Society’s growing volunteer base.
People with disabilities are at greater risk during disasters. The Vanuatu Red Cross Society will therefore use the grant to improve and promote disability and gender inclusion in National Society projects and programmes concerning volunteers, recruitment, capacity building, participation and access.
Staff Code of Conduct
The IFRC is deeply committed to helping create safe environments free of harm or threat to the dignity of our personnel and the people we serve.
When working under the Red Cross Red Crescent emblems, we are personally and collectively responsible for upholding and promoting the values and principles these emblems represent. We are individually called on to respect the Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, uphold the values of respect, dignity and integrity, and to exhibit the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct at all times and in all circumstances.
The staff code of conduct includes an enhanced focus on our values as an organization and explains the obligations of IFRC representatives in light of the different security demands and needs of each location and operation.
This text reflects our commitment as an organization to protect the dignity of vulnerable people and the conduct that is consistent with this aim.
Cash Assistance In Times of COVID-19: Impacts on refugees living in Türkiye
This report explores the socio-economic circumstances refugees in Türkiye face during COVID-19, as well as the impact of the cash assistance provided through the Emergency Social Safety Net. According to the report:
COVID-19 has led to increased economic stresses
Many have faced a sharp increase in debt levels
People receiving assistance have a lower level of food insecurity
The cash assistance has helped prevent refugees from resorting to negative coping strategies
Policy Brief: Global Compact on Migration
This policy brief provides IFRC analysis and recommendations relating to the development of theGlobal Compact on Safe, Regular and Orderly Migration.
We called for the Compact to lead to progress on addressing the unacceptable levels of death, abuse, privation, and indignities currently faced by millions of vulnerable migrants around the world, including through outlining of global minimum standards for treatment of migrants.
Find out more about our worksupporting people on the move.
Movement policy on internal displacement
Policy on internal displacement adopted by the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement during the Council of Delegates in Nairobi, November 2009.
Wildfires: Key Messages
Key hazard-specific messages for individuals and communities on how to prepare for, and stay safe during, wildfires.
DREF Annual Plan 2021
The 2021 annual plan for the IFRC's Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) and Forecast-based Action (now known as the Anticipatory Pillar of the DREF).
Japan: Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident (2011)
This case study gives an overview of the Japanese Red Cross Society's response to the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami (GEJET) and the subsequent Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident in March 2011. It includes a timeline of events and a summary of key challenges and actions taken.
Polio program transition in South Sudan: an assessment of risks and opportunities
This report looks at the risks and opportunities presented by the wind down of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in South Sudan.
Objectives of the report:
Analyze current funding for South Sudan’s immunization and polio programs
Document progress in transition planning and implementation
Determine risks the country faces with the wind down of GPEI funding
Identify opportunities for civil society engagement to support integration of polio programme-funded activities and help sustain essential polio programming as well as other immunization activities.
Least Protected, Most Affected: Migrants and refugees facing extraordinary risks during the COVID-19 pandemic
From the outset of COVID-19, and on a global basis, since January 2020, National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies have been working to prevent, address and respond to the pandemic and to reduce the economic, social and psychological impacts of the virus, with support from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
This report analyses the disproportionate impacts the pandemic has on migrants and refugees—from border closures to increased barriers to basic services.
Find out more about our worksupporting people on the moveandresponding to COVID-19.
DREF Annual Report 2019
The annual reportfor the IFRC's Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) in 2019.
Internal Audit Report: South Sudan Country Office, 2016
Assurance review of our South Sudan Country Office, 2016.