UNESCO Peru Launches El Niño Preparedness Campaign Through Women’s Football Outreach

Comunidades PRO brings together UNESCO’s work in education, science, communication and information, and culture to help people anticipate risks and organise for possible emergencies.

UNESCO Peru launched its Prepared, Resilient and Organized Communities campaign, known as Comunidades PRO, during a women's friendly football match between Alianza Lima and Argentina's Talleres de Córdoba. Awareness activities at Alejandro Villanueva Stadium in Lima's La Victoria district encouraged spectators to prepare for the 2026–2027 El Niño phenomenon. The campaign uses the reach of football to bring prevention messages to wider audiences and strengthen community readiness.

The launch comes amid concerns about potential extreme weather, with Peru's ENFEN commission maintaining an El Niño Costero alert in September 2026. According to the release, the commission indicated a high probability of the phenomenon reaching extraordinary magnitude between September 2026 and January 2027. Above-average rainfall is also expected during summer 2027 along the northern and central coasts and in the northwestern highlands, increasing the need for precautions against heavy rain, flooding and river overflows.

Comunidades PRO brings together UNESCO's work in education, science, communication and information, and culture to help people anticipate risks and organise for possible emergencies. Its messages encourage communities to recognise alerts, seek reliable information and take preventive measures that protect people, schools, essential services and cultural heritage. The initiative presents preparedness as a shared responsibility supported by knowledge, coordination and informed decisions.

Reliable Information Helps Communities Prepare for Emergencies

Rumours and misinformation can spread quickly during emergencies, putting lives at risk when people act on inaccurate or misleading messages. UNESCO promotes Media and Information Literacy to encourage the public to consult official sources and verify information before sharing it. These practices help communities understand alerts and make better-informed decisions as conditions develop.

The campaign connects access to reliable information with the practical work of anticipating risks and organising a community response. Recognising warnings and adopting preventive measures are presented as essential steps in protecting lives and maintaining important services. UNESCO's approach brings these messages into public spaces where they can reach people beyond traditional emergency-preparedness activities.

Schools and Cultural Heritage Form Part of Preparedness Efforts

The education component includes the co-design of an educational and play-based toolkit to help students and school communities prepare for El Niño. It supports continuity of learning and the protection of children, adolescents and teachers during emergencies. Their social and emotional wellbeing is also part of the initiative, recognising that preparedness involves more than protecting buildings and maintaining lessons.

UNESCO is working with Peru's Ministry of Culture and INDECI to strengthen preparedness among cultural-sector officials, municipalities and cultural heritage managers nationwide. This work supports efforts to protect cultural heritage against El Niño and forms part of the global Culture x El Niño campaign. The campaign highlights how culture and heritage protection contribute to stronger, better-prepared communities.

Women's Football Brings Prevention Messages to New Audiences

The stadium activities mark a second joint initiative between Alianza Lima and UNESCO, following earlier cooperation to promote girls' and women's participation in sport. This collaboration draws on women's football to reach new audiences with messages about prevention and collective responsibility. The match provided a setting for connecting community preparedness with the visibility and leadership of women in sport.

Delivering these messages through women's football carries particular significance because emergencies affect women and girls differently, and they hold central roles in caregiving, community organisation and response. UNESCO highlighted their leadership on and off the field as an essential part of preparedness. Through Comunidades PRO, the organisation is bringing education, culture, knowledge and reliable information together to help communities face El Niño with greater readiness.