International day for disaster reduction, 5th conference - Amadora, Portugal

The International Day for Disaster Reduction is celebrated annually on the second Wednesday of October. Established by the UN General Assembly, this day is a reflection about natural disasters, taking into account the phases of prevention, rescue and rehabilitation.

The Municipal Service of Civil Protection (Amadora-PORTUGAL) with the Environmental Group of the New University of Lisbon and the Portugal Civil Protection Group will organize the fifth conference commemorating the 'International Day for Disaster Reduction'. The event on 13th October 2010 will take place at the Military Academy Amadora Unit and have as main goals:

• The importance of environmental protection for the prevention and mitigation of natural disasters;
• The need for the international community to face the problem of natural disasters fatalism;
• The role of state responsibility and the citizen in prevention and mitigation strategy;
• The integration of emergency plans for natural disasters in national planning.

The reflection, sharing experiences and knowledge has been the dominant note of the event organized since 2005. For 2010, there will be several personalities from science, operational and political community attending.