EU funded Programme for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to Man-made and Natural Disasters in the ENPI East Region (PPRD East)
COUNTRY ADVISORY GROUP MEETING
7 April, 2014
Venue: Conference Hall of Sheraton Metechi Palace Hotel
Tbilisi, Georgia
On April 7, 2014, at Conference Hall Sheraton Metechi Palace Hotel, the third meeting of the Country Advisory Group in the framework of the EU funded Programme: “Prevention, Preparedness and Response to Man-made and Natural Disasters” (PPRD East) was held.
The meeting was organized with the support of the Emergency Management Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The following institutions were invited at the meeting: EU Delegation to Georgia, DG ECHO, Emergency Management Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Protection, National Environmental Agency, Office of State Minister of Georgia on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure, Ministry of Education and Science,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs, Seismic Monitoring Center, REC Caucasus, UNICEF, Red Cross Georgia, CENN, RDFG, Save the Children and ASB.
The meeting aimed at:
Gathering stakeholders involved in the country’s civil protection and disaster risk management;
Introducing the current status of the Programme;
Discussing achieved and expected results;
Planning further activities and discuss the issues related to the beginning of the second phase of the PPRD East Programme.
The meeting was opened by Mr. Zviad Katsashvili, Director of the Emergency Management Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the PPRD East Programme Steering Committee member.
He welcomed the participants and expressed his satisfaction that stakeholders involved in civil protection and disaster risk management will meet once again within the Programme auspices. He
expressed his gratitude to European Union and to all institutions for their continuous support and stressed the importance of Georgia’s rapprochement with the EU – “On this way, current and future projects have a special place. Successful implementation of each project is vitally important for us, in order to comply with different standards of European countries”.
Also, Mr. Zviad Katsashvili talked about some challenges experienced during the PPRD East Program implementation, which, despite experts’ efforts, still has an influence on successful achievements of the aim and expected outcomes set at the initial stage.
PPRD East Programme Team Leader Mr. Segej Anagnosti agreed with Mr. Zviad Katsashvili that there were some problems during the Programme implementation, however, he expressed belief that with joint efforts the existing difficulties will be successfully overcome and all the objectives set at the initial stage will be achieved.
Afterwards, the word was given to representative of DG ECHO, Ms. Ketevan Lomsadze. She greeted the participants and expressed satisfaction because of attending the meeting and said that she would listen carefully to the discussion of the results achieved within PPRD-East Programme. For her part, she noted that they have successfully implemented Disaster Preparedness Programme, second stage of DIPECHO and now are starting the third stage of the programme, which will be implemented in the South
Caucasus. Ms. Ketevan Lomsadze called all stakeholders for active cooperation.
As all participants introduced themselves Mr. Anagnosti presented the progress Programme made since the previous CAG meeting held in October 2013, followed with presentations given by the Key Experts:
Presentation of the Activity Area A (Development of the Electronic Regional Risk Atlas (ERRA)) achievements and results
Presentation of the Activity Area B (Civil Protection/Disaster Management Capacity Building Programme) achievements and results
Presentation of the Activity Area C (Institutional and Regulatory Strengthening) achievements and results
Presentation of the Activity Area D (Raising Awareness on Civil Protection, Disaster Management and Disaster Risk Reduction Issues)
achievements and results
Recommendations for the PPRD East Programme Phase II
Each presentation was followed by a lively discussion.
During the discussion, it was noted that Armenia and Belarus already have established a National Platform for DRR. Mr. Teimuraz Melkadze, representative of Emergency Management Department explained that Expert Advisory Council exists in Georgia since 1997, and actually represents the national mechanism, but it was not developed up to the standards required by the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA). On September 20, 2013 as per the Prime Minister’s direct order, the Expert Advisory Council was modernized and basic HFA directions were directly reflected in its charter.
This Expert Advisory Council adapted to the HFA is already operating and carries out management of advisory activities related to the disaster risk reduction, including the involvement of Government institutions, local authorities and non-governmental
organizations, as well as the organization of public discussions.
In the continuation of the meeting, it was noted that the analysis of legal and institutional civil protection and disaster risk management frameworks was conducted in every Partner Country and recommendations and means were suggested on how to improve the overall national CP and DRM system.
Mr. Teimuraz Melkadze underlined the huge importance of European countries’ support and experience in further development of normative activities and noted that the law on civil safety, which has already passed the first hearing in the Parliament, includes the proposed recommendations as much as possible. This will give Georgia opportunity to introduce European standards in emergency situation management and disaster risk reduction.
A matter of special discussion were activities carried out within the awareness rising on civil protection, disaster management and disaster risk reduction activity area.
A social video was developed within the Programme with an aim to raise awareness on disaster prevention and preparedness. With the support of OSCE and the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs a brochure “Family guide for emergency preparedness and response” was
translated and adapted to Georgia environment. It explains to population how to behave in various emergency situations.
The Programme Communication Key Expert Mr. Vladimir Kuznetsov explained that dissemination of the social video in Partner Countries happen in different ways - TV, billboards, screens in public transportation etc. At the time of the meeting, it was not decided how the brochure “Family guide for emergency preparedness and response” will be disseminated in Georgia; however there are active consultations between the Press Service of the Ministry of Interior and the Emergency Management Department.
According to the representative of the Emergency Management Department, EMD closely cooperates with schools, Regional Municipal Services, local authorities, NGOs, which will extremely simplify distribution of the brochure. As for the broadcasting of the social video on TV, there is a National Response Plan in Georgia. According to this Plan, Georgian Public Broadcasting has function of communication and notification supporter organization and is obliged to facilitate civil
protection and disaster risk management related awareness raising.
It was also proposed that Press Centers of institutions represented at the CAG meeting contribute to dissemination of the abovementioned materials.
Ms. Ketevan Lomsadze promised the audience that DG ECHO would support the mentioned process and expressed readiness to actively cooperate with all stakeholders.
Ms. Rusudan Tevzadze, representative of the Ministry of Education, proposed to include the brochure “Family guide for emergency preparedness and response” to the official education curriculum.
In this regard, it was also discuss the need to define regions in Georgia that are prone to natural and technological risks and to work in those regions on awareness raising of population.
A preliminary agreement was made at the meeting that the brochure “Family guide for emergency preparedness and response” would be printed in a several thousand copies and disseminated through Press Centre of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Emergency Management Department.
At the end of the meeting, participants thanked the PPRD East Program Team Leader and experts, noting that the meeting was very useful and productive. As for the Phase II of the PPRD East Programme – all the priorities and directions should be defined reasonably and this requires more detailed work.
Finally, Mr. Zviad Katsashvili expressed his gratitude to Mr. Sergej Anagnosti and Programme experts for their efforts - ” At this stage we can say that due to their great efforts we have managed to successfully achieve tangible results”. He once again stressed the readiness of Emergency Management Department to continue and deepen cooperation with EC at the first onset of the second four-year Phase of the PPRD East Programme.
AGENDA
Time Subject Speaker
9:00-9:30 Registration
9:30-9:45 Official Opening Emergency Management Department
EU Delegation
9:45-10:00 Welcome note and introduction PPRD East Programme Team Leader
Plenary
10:00-10:30 Presentation of the PPRD East Programme progress since the previous NAG meeting
PPRD East Programme Expert Team
10:30-11:00 Tour de Table Plenary
11:00-11:30 Presentation of the Activity Area A achievements and results
PPRD East Programme GIS Key Expert
11:30-11:45 Coffee break
11:45-12:15 Tour de Table Plenary
12:15-12:45 Presentation of the Activity Area B achievements and results
PPRD East Programme Expert Team
12:45-13:15 Tour de Table Plenary
13:15-14:15 Lunch
14:15-14:45 Presentation of the Activity Area C achievements and results
PPRD East Programme Expert Team
14:45-15:15 Tour de Table Plenary
15:15-15:45 Presentation of the Activity Area D achievements and results
PPRD East Programme Communication Key Expert
15:45-16:00 Coffee break
16:00-16:30 Tour de Table Plenary
16:30-17:00 Recommendations for the PPRD East Programme Phase II
PPRD East Programme Expert Team
17:00-17:30 Tour de Table Plenary
17:30-18:00 Closing words and photo PPRD East Programme Team Leader
Emergency Management Department
EU Delegation
List of Participants Person Organization Contact information
Mr. Zviad Katsashvili Director of Emergency Management Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia
[email protected]@mail.ru
Mr. Levan Buiglishvili Deputy Director of Emergency Management Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia
[email protected]@yahoo.com
Mr. Jemal Kolashvili Emergency Management Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia
Mr. Temur Melkadze Emergency Management Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia
Mr. Giorgi Charkviani National Coordinator of PPRD- East Programme Emergency Management Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia
Mr. Archil Nizharadze Emergency Management Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia
Mr. Giorgi Gogaladze Emergency Management Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia
Ms. Sofio Kobaidze Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia
Ms. Ketevan Khutsishvili EU Delegation to Georgia [email protected]
Ms. Ketevan Lomsadze DG ECHO [email protected]
Mr. David Torua Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia
Mr. Eduard Alikian Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia
Mr. Levan Chikvaidze Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia
Ms. Nato Jorjiashvili Ilia State UniversitySeismic Monitoring Center of Georgia
Ms. Maia otinashvili Ilia State UniversitySeismic Monitoring Center of Georgia
Ms. Ekaterina Kenchadze Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia
Ms. Rusudan Tevzadze Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia
Ms. Tea Levidze Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia
Ms. Irma Gurguliani Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Protection of Georgia
Ms. Irma Jebirashvili National Environmental Agency [email protected]
Ms. Nino Gvetadze The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) [email protected]
Ms. Sofiko Akhobadze The Regional Environmental Centre for the Caucasus (RECC)
Mr. Irakli Kobulia Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN) [email protected]
Ms. Natia Parulava ASB
Ms. Tamta Golubiani Save the Children
Mr. Kakha Mamuladze Georgia Red Cross Society [email protected]
Mr. Vano Grigolashvili Disaster Risk Reduction Center (RDFG) [email protected]
Mr. Sergej Anagnosti PPRD East Team Leader [email protected]
Mr. Radovan Hilbert PPRD East GIS Expert [email protected]
Mr. Volodymyr Kuznietsov PPRD East Communication Expert [email protected]
Mr. Guram Tandilashvili Eptisa Tbilisi Office, Local Coordinator [email protected]