El Niño and the children

Aim

To analyse the implications of El Niño 2026–27 for the health, wellbeing and learning of children and school communities in Latin America, and to identify concrete short-term preparedness actions and guidance for strengthening the resilience of the school system in the long term.

Specific objectives

1. Provide a clear, regionally differentiated assessment of the ongoing event.
2. Synthesise the evidence on how heat and other associated events affect school populations, distinguishing what is established from the gaps.
3. Identify feasible measures for the coming months and structural priorities for the next decade.

Scope

The webinar focuses on school populations and on schools as places of exposure, protection and response. It mainly covers extreme heat, while recognising that El Niño also brings heavy rainfall, flooding and drought depending on the subregion. It spans two horizons: the 2026–27 season (the end of the school year and the return to classes) and medium- and long-term planning (infrastructure, risk management, early warning systems, intersectoral policies). It is not intended as clinical training or a detailed technical protocol, but as a space for dialogue between science, public policy and school practice.

Agenda