The World Health Organization International Safe Communities Movement, noticing a need for Safe Schools throughout the world, at the 10th International Meeting on Safe Communities held in May, 2001 in Anchorage, Alaska USA formed the International Safe Schools Workgroup. The co-chairs are Ellen Schmidt, MS OTR of the Education Development Center, and Max Vosskuhler of Peaceful Resources Center.  At the last major meeting of the committee, at the 6th World Conference on Injury Prevention in Montreal Quebec Canada, the plan was laid out for the plans of  designation, evaluation, criteria and standards for safe schools and the process for making revisions over the internet, with the plan of having schools in the process by the end of the 2002-2003 school year co-inciding with the World Health Organization's Year of Violence Prevention.

From 18 March through 20 March 2003 the International Safe Schools Committee gathered once again at the 12th International Safe Communities Conference in Hong Kong. In addition to the numerous presentations on Safe Schools, members of the committee moderated a panel of educators (university professionals, principals, assistant principals, headmasters, superintendents) from around the world to discuss Safe Schools in the comprehensive sense from their perspective.  The first International Safe Schools Educational Leaders Panel helped set the stage for the launch of the international designation processes.

Click on the link for a report on the Hong Kong Conference.