Croatia National Platform

Structure

The Platform Committee is a body established by the Government to coordinate all activities of the Croatian Platform.

Members of the Committee include:

1. National Protection and Rescue Directorate (leading national agency for Croatian Platform)
2. Ministry of Interior,
3. Ministry of Defense,
4. Ministry of Environmental Protection, Physical Planning and Construction,
5. Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration,
6. Ministry of Economy, Labor and Entrepreneurship,
7. Ministry of Health and Social Welfare,
8. Ministry of Science, Education and Sport,
9. Ministry of Sea, Transport and Infrastructure,
10. Ministry of Culture,
11. Ministry of Finance,
12. Ministry of Regional Development, Forestry and Water Management, Meteorological and Hydrological Service, Seismological Service of the Republic of Croatia
13. Croatian Red Cross,
14. Croatian Mountain Rescue Service,
15. Croatian Firefighting Organization,
16. Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts,
17. Croatian Caritas.

Activities

At the proposal of the National Protection and Rescue Directorate, in March 2009 the Government of the Republic of Croatia has brought forth a decision on holding a conference on Croatian Platform for disaster risk reduction which is to take place every year under the chairmanship of the Croatian Government’s representatives.

The Decision founded the Croatian Platform Committee under the chairmanship of the Croatian vice prime minister including members from all ministries and other state administration bodies and calling upon representatives of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, large economic entities, public companies non-governmental organizations that deal with protection and rescue, especially Croatian Red Cross, Croatian Mountain Rescue Service, Croatian Firefighting Organization, as well as representatives of religious communities registered in the Republic of Croatia. The National Protection and Rescue Directorate was tasked with the organization and activities between the conferences acting as a secretariat for Croatian Platform.

The Croatian Platform Committee was set up in May 2009 and it defined a program whose goal it is for the National Platform to ensure the participation of all factors of the development of the society. In the year 2010 the Croatian Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction has the same goal and has been working on linking of scientific institutions with all actors included in activities related to disaster risk reduction and disaster response. The Croatian Platform Committee has been holding meetings throughout the year in the same composition and discussions were held on how to make the Croatian Platform as sufficient as it can be to make its goals and to progress.

All participants were, again this year, invited to prepare and submit their papers on the topic of disaster risk reduction for the second conference of the Croatian Platform.

The first conference of the Croatian Platform was held on 09 November 2009 with over 180 participants from the state authorities, large economic entities, scientific community (Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts and several colleges and institutions), as well as citizens’ associations and religious communities. The second conference of the Croatian Platform is going to be held in October this year and we hope to have an even greater success, especially in encouraging the participants to engage in a discussion and therefore reach some greater conclusions on how to help the Croatian Platform be as sufficient as it can be and how to help Croatia reduce disaster risks.

The topics to be discussed on the second conference were defined by the National Protection and Rescue Directorate:

•  Management in emergency situations - the theory and practice
•  Science in reducing disaster risk - the theoretical foundations and developments in practice
•  Climate change, extreme weather conditions and the necessary adjustments
•  Raising awareness on the hazards and safety culture development (education, role of media, promotional activities)
•  Early warning and capacity development for response to emergency situations and disasters
•  International cooperation in disaster risk reduction

Already a great interest has been shown and so far the Organizing, Scientific Committee has chosen 37 papers to be presented on the second conference.