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Ref. DC 167(2016)

EUR-OPA Hazard Ministerial Conference in Lisbon:

Building more disaster resilient societies

http://bit.ly/2ex0ZHq

Strasbourg, 24.10.2016 – This summer, some Southern European countries have faced unprecedented heatwaves and wildfires. Portugal is due to host the 13th ministerial session of the Council of Europe’s European and Mediterranean Major Hazards Agreement (EUR-OPA) on 26 October 2016 in Lisbon.

Designed to strengthen international co-operation with a view to preventing natural and technological disasters and responding to them more effectively, the conference will bring together ministers from the 25 States parties to the Agreement, as well as representatives of organisations working in the field of disaster risk reduction, in order to agree on priorities in this area and adopt an action plan for 2016-2020.

The participants will address critical issues in particular:

• How to reconcile equal treatment of all citizens and special needs of the most vulnerable groups?
• How to make risk governance more effective by enlarging it to all pertinent non-governmental entities?
• How to ensure specific preparedness and put in place response tools for emerging risks with unknown potential consequences?
• How to adapt resilience strategies to contribute to a preventive civil protection culture?
• How to interact in real time with the population in order to make them effective actors in the face of hazards?

The meeting will be opened by Constança Urbano de Sousa, Minister of Internal Affairs of Portugal. 

Agenda of the Conference

Practical Information

·         The meeting will take place in D. Pedro Palace Hotel, Av. Eng. Duarte Pacheco, 24, 1070-109 Lisboa from 9:00 am to 18:00 pm.

·         A Press Briefing is scheduled (time to be confirmed) at the Conference venue on 26 October.

·         Journalists are invited to obtain accreditation from the Portuguese authorities (João Luis : [email protected])

Created in 1987, the European and Mediterranean Major Hazards Agreement (EUR-OPA) is a platform for co-operation between European and Southern Mediterranean countries in the field of major natural and technological disasters. Its field of action covers the knowledge of hazards, risk prevention, risk management, post-crisis analysis and rehabilitation. It has, to date, 25 member States.

Contact : Giuseppe Zaffuto, Spokesperson/Press officer, Tel. +33 3 90 21 56 04