Usually during big disaster, most forms of communication systems are disrupted and the absence of emergency communication can lead to destructive consequences. A resilient ICT system that is owned and operated by community themselves is immensely important for disaster risk reduction and management as information in the disaster aftermath can be a lifesaving phenomenon. Secondly, there has been a global shift in educational paradigm towards a blended mode of learning. We saw how important e-learning was during the COVID-19 pandemic. But there are many communities in mountainous regions of highlands and remote islands in the lowlands that do not have access to internet connectivity to be able ta advantage of digital education. We have been testing Locally Accessible Cloud System (LACS) that addresses the issue of connectivity in hard-to-reach communities, broadens the use of ICT in rural communities and most importantly serves as a backup communication channel in case of disaster. This system can be set up within an hour in emergencies and is very easy to troubleshoot. This modular local server system auto routes IP addresses and has auto synchronizing function with the cloud server which makes it very convenient to move and deploy even with minimal knowledge about system. With all our previous experiences, we believe that we can build a resilient education and disaster management system by connecting internet in hard-to-reach community and integrating LACS system in corresponding communities where it is not possible to connect internet yet. LACS (Locally Accessible Cloud System) is a portable communication tool which enables us to share the information among people in the disaster affected area with no telephone/Internet environment. This system plays an active role in the disaster situation. But this solution is not just for disaster. The daily use of this system makes it more effective during disaster. So, we have been piloting this system for remote education and connecting unconnected hilly communities and remote islands. We want share the learnings of our LACS use in Nepal and the Philippines and let the global communities decide how they can benefit from this emergency communication backup system. Resource https://www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/Lunch%20session%2C%20Locall…

Speakers will most likely participate the event physically. If some of them cannot, they will join us online. The session presentations will be webcasted to various target groups who will be able to attend them through virtual medium. An online moderator will be interacting with virtual attendees through messaging, and questions if raised will be relayed to the speakers.