Brussels to host event on disaster prevention in ENPI East RegionJune 6, 2014 - 10:31 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Ministers and top civil protection and disaster management officials from the Eastern Partnership countries will gather in Brussels on June 13 to review the progress made in civil protection cooperation in the region, at the final conference of the EU-funded Program on Prevention, Preparedness and Response to Natural and Man-made Disasters in the ENPI East Region (PPRD East). Ministers responsible for Civil Protection and Directors of the National Disaster Management Authorities of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine will meet senior officials of the European Commission and the Civil Protection Departments of EU Member States at the event, to review the achievements of the four-year PPRD East program, also in the light of the growing global concern with the impact of disasters. The main objective of the €6 million PPRD East program was to contribute to the development of the Partner Countries’ civil protection and disaster risk management capacities and to bring them closer to the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. Its main achievements include the establishment of national procedures for requesting assistance by the EU Emergency Response Coordination Centre, the creation of an environment conducive for regional cooperation, and the promotion of EU disaster risk management practices. Program trainings and exercises on international cooperation during disaster response, and workshops on disaster prevention and preparedness were attended by over 1,400 disaster management experts. The Program’s studies and recommendations on national civil protection systems triggered important advances in Partner Countries, such as in the inter-institutional coordination arrangements for disaster response in Georgia and Ukraine. The development of the Electronic Regional Risk Atlas (ERRA) increased the knowledge and awareness of disaster risk exposure in all six Partner Countries, and the Program also supported the implementation of awareness raising activities on the risk of fires, floods, earthquakes, landslides and industrial accidents, which reached hundreds of thousands of people. The Conference will provide an opportunity to the Civil Protection Ministries and Directors General for networking, discussing the disaster risk management issues at stake in the regional agenda, drawing on the state of the art tools and methods of the Eastern Partnership cooperation on civil protection and preparing orientations for future regional collaboration initiatives in disaster prevention, preparedness and response. Top stories The number of state universities will be reduced from 23 to 8 by 2030, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan has said. From September 21 to November 11, a total of 2,820 Russians registered at a place of residence in Armenia, the police has said. The situation on the contact line between Karabakh and Azerbaijan was relatively stable overnight, the Defense Army says. Defense Minister Suren Papikyan has visited the southern Armenian province of Syunik, the Defense Ministry reported on March 18. Partner news | European Parliament to discuss repression in Azerbaijan The European Parliament will discuss repression of civil society in Azerbaijan on April 24 PACE wants concessions from Azerbaijan to accept Baku back A PACE co-rapporteur said that Azerbaijani authorities must make certain concessions so that the country can return to PACE. Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide. Armenia PM, France envoy discuss regional matters Issues related to the consistent development of Armenia-France cooperation were discussed. |