The EU-funded programme Prevention, Preparedness and Response to natural and man-made disasters in Eastern Partnership countries phase 3 (PPRD East 3) aims to increase the resilience to disasters in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine. For doing so, PPRD East 3 supports these countries in establishing an early warning early action-based civil protection approach. This approach will be practiced during the full-scale exercise on forest fires in Tbilisi, Georgia. PPRD East 3 will organise both a discussion-based exercise on 12-14 June at the Emergency Management Service of Georgia, and a field full-scale exercise just outside Tbilisi in Dido Lilo, on 14-16 June. Leading up to these dates, there have been extensive work with early warning early action trainings, such as active monitoring and early detections of fires to trigger anticipatory actions.
Forest fire scenario with chemical-biological-radiological-nuclear impacts and activation of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism
The scenario starts with the winter and spring having much less rainfall than in other years and this is followed by a particularly hot spring and summer. Georgia and its neighbouring countries have worked extensively on early warning systems that provides the opportunity for early action in relation to forest fires. Despite their excellent work in this area there is a growing forest fire that they will be unable to contain without additional resources. In a different location in the country there will be a virtual, simultaneous but unrelated, CBRN event.
In addition to local and national response, the exercise will require international assistance and the activation of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM). More than 350 emergency operators will bring assistance in this exercise, with teams from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, Italy, and Sweden. There will also be participation of a European Union Civil Protection Team, a United Nations Country Team, the EU Delegation, and the help coordinate international assistance. There will also be the presence of observers, VIP participants, and a mixed team of evaluators and trainers.
The exercise aims to strengthen inter-institutional and regional coordination – because we are stronger together.
Integrating human rights, gender and environment perspectives
PPRD East 3 aims to integrate gender, human rights, and environmental perspectives as cross-cutting issues into all phases of the programme. This is key to ensure the programme contributes to strengthening capacities in disaster risk management systems to enhance sustainability and the resilience of the society as a whole, leaving no one behind.
In the full-scale exercise, the programme has applied a systematic approach to integrate these cross-cutting issues into the planning, implementation, and lessons learned of the exercise. Focus of the work has been on broad representation of participants and stakeholders, including operators specialised in gender, human rights and environment, and civil society organisations representing women, girls, boys and men, youth, elderly, people with disabilities and other minority groups. We are also measuring and working hard to minimise the environmental footprint of the exercise.
Local ownership and participation is key to the PPRD East 3 programme. The exercise will build on existing national and regional structures and initiatives to ensure continuity, and at the same time identify new areas for collaboration and new knowledge and strategies.
About the programme
The 3rd phase of the EU-funded programme "Prevention, Preparedness and Response to natural and man-made disasters in Eastern Partnership countries – phase 3 (PPRD East 3)" is implemented during the years 2020-2024, with the purpose to strengthen disaster risk reduction and crises management in the Eastern Partnership countries and to promote regional cooperation with the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.
The programme has three main objectives:
• Enhancing the capacity of the civil protection organisations
• Enhancing the multi-stakeholder approach by involving all stakeholders including other government agencies, civil society and the academia.
• Strengthening the regional cooperation of the partner countries and the cooperation with the European Union.
The programme is implemented by a consortium consisting of the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) as the lead agency and programme coordinator, the Emergency Services Academy Finland, the Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic – Section of Crisis Management, the Centro Internazionale in Monitoraggio Ambientale (CIMA) and the Italian Red Cross (CRI).
Contact
Web: www.pprdeast3.eu
Social: http://www.facebook.com/pprdeast3.eu
Communication: Johanna Rixer, Communication Specialist: Johanna.rixer@msb.se
Operational questions: Peter Glerum, Team Leader: peter.glerum@mission.msb.se
Isabelle Gebretensaye, Programme Manager: mailto:isabelle.gebretensaye@msb.se
EU-related questions: echo-cp-east@ec.europa.eu