Montenegro National Platform
History
With the adoption of the National Strategy for States of Emergency and the Law on Rescue and Protection, as well as by establishing the Coordination Team for Protection and the Rescue and Protection Directorate as an organizational unit of the Ministry of Interior Affairs, conditions are created so that on the territory of Montenegro, there is a single place from which the following can be performed: risk management in emergency situations; management of rescue and protection in emergency situations; and management of recovery from the consequences of emergency situations. With the establishment of the State emergency management system, all existing relevant institutions (ministries and other administrative bodies, local government bodies, operational units, police, military and civil sector) that are involved in the monitoring process are functionally integrated.
With the aim to perform normative regulation of all relevant areas of government activities, which are important for prevention of emergencies and recovery from consequences, several legislative acts that were harmonized with EU regulations were adopted, such as: Law on Rescue and Protection; Law on Transportation of Dangerous Substances; Law on Explosive Substances; and Law on Flammable Liquids and Gases.
In 2014, the national Disaster Risk Reduction Committee was formed by the Government of Montenegro, which consists of representatives from various ministries and agencies in Montenegro, with the task to establish the national platform for DRR in Montenegro on 15 December 2014.
After establishing the national platform for DRR, nine conferences of the national platform were organized on various topics up to now. The platform has supported the development of the following reports: Disaster Risk Assessment of Montenegro; Mid-term Review of the Implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030: Voluntary review and report of Montenegro; and Disaster Risk Management Capability Assessment of Montenegro.
Structure
The following authorities make the structure of the Montenegrin national platform for DRR:
- Ministry of Interior Affairs; Ministry of Defense; Ministry of Ecology, Spatial Planning and Urbanism; Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development; Ministry of Health; and Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports
- Environmental Protection Agency
- Institute for Emergency Medical Care; Institute for Public Health; and Institute of Hydrometeorology and Seismology
- Red Cross of Montenegro
- Centre for Ecotoxicological Research
Mandate
- Monitor, examine and determine the achievements that contribute to DRR
- Organize conferences to exchange views, present and coordinate opinions, suggestions, knowledge and experience to act on DRR, as well as to assess risk and activities of all parties involved in the action in order to reduce risk and threats of disasters
- Be informed about criteria, directives and initiatives of public administrations related to DRR
- Prepare the technical basis for dialogue of all stakeholders in order to achieve the highest quality response to threats and risks of disasters
- Encourage and connect academic institutions as well as all entities involved in the action concerning DRR
- Promote initiatives of different public administrations and private sector to implement actions that contribute to the improvement of disaster risk prevention and mitigation
- Be informed about programmes, projects, reports and recommendations issued by institutions of the United Nations or UNDRR
- Raise awareness of all citizens in the area of DRR
Budget
At the moment, the platform has no specific budget and all activities are financed from the budget of governmental and international organizations through different projects.