Geneva, 5 June 2025 - The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and COPE Academy Ltd have renewed their commitment to child-centered disaster risk reduction (DRR) with the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at WMO Headquarters. The strengthened partnership aims to equip children and young people with the knowledge and tools they need to understand, prepare for, and respond to hazards-including floods, cyclones, droughts, heatwaves, etc.
The bilateral meeting between WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo and the COPE team reinforced the critical role of DRR education in the UN's Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative, particularly under Pillar 1: Disaster Risk Knowledge. It also marked the celebration of the upcoming launch of a special edition COPE book on Climate Change-a first-of-its-kind volume that serves as a comprehensive review of all hazards featured in the COPE Disaster Book Series.
"This partnership is about more than education-it's about protection," said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo. "By helping children understand risks and respond effectively, we lay the foundation for more resilient communities. This special edition marks an important milestone, and we welcome new development partners to join us in scaling these efforts."
A Milestone in Child-Centered Disaster Education
Developed in collaboration with WMO to ensure scientific accuracy, the COPE series presents complex hazard and preparedness concepts in an illustrated, child-friendly format. Since the beginning of this collaboration in 2020, the series has released over a dozen titles, each focused on a specific hazard, and has been translated into all six UN languages. To date, millions of copies have been distributed globally.
Key milestones include:
- Recognition from the late Pope Francis in November 2024.
- Launch of the Cyclones book in Tongan by UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Tonga in August 2024.
- Endorsement by the Pacific Meteorological Council to translate the series into all official Pacific languages.
- Inclusion in the WMO Guide for NMHSs on Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems (WMO-No. 1339).
- Showcased at major global events including COP27, COP28, and Conference of Youth (COY)18.
Regional Achievements
With the support of WMO and its regional partners, the COPE initiative has achieved significant regional milestones:
- Africa: Translations of the Floods and Cyclones books into Malagasy, launched in partnership with Madagascar's Met Service and Ministry of Education on World Meteorological Day 2024, supported by the CREWS initiative.
- Asia: New publications addressing Blizzards (Mongolia), Droughts (China), and Storm Surges (Hong Kong).
- South America: Contributed to the launch of the Spanish-language "train-the-trainer" programme across Latin America to support localized DRR education.
- South-West Pacific: Launch of the Cyclones book in Tonga and publication of the Avalanches book with New Zealand Met Service.
- Europe: Release of the Heatwaves book in collaboration with Meteo France.
Looking Ahead
The signing of the new MoU sets the stage for the next phase of collaboration. WMO and COPE Academy will:
- Continue developing educational materials across a wide spectrum of hazards.
- Enhance collaboration with UN agencies, National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs), and academic institutions.
- Expand outreach at global, regional, and national events.
- Promote inclusive communication strategies and invest in capacity development to ensure no child is left behind in DRR education.
- Engage new development partners to support scaling of content, training, and dissemination in vulnerable regions.
"This partnership is about empowering children to protect themselves and their communities," said Martha Keswick, creator of the COPE series. "Through early education, we can create a generation that is better prepared for the risks of tomorrow."
