Romania National Platform

History

In 2005, Romania participated in the World Conference on Disaster Reduction held in Kobe, Japan and signed the Hyogo Declaration, thus adopting the Hyogo Framework and committing to implement its measures at the national and local levels. 

At first, the role of the national platform for DRR was fulfilled by the National Committee for Emergency Situations, but it soon became clear that there is a need for a more complex entity that should involve civic organizations, NGOs and media. 

After months of negotiations, the Government Decision 762/2016 entered into force, establishing the organization and the functioning of the national platform for DRR, comprising relevant national authorities, risk management working groups and civil society representatives.

Structure

The national platform for DRR comprises the National Committee for Emergency Situations, National Risk Assessment Working Group, technical working groups dedicated for the management of specific disaster risks, NGOs, local authorities' associations, professional associations, trade unions, academia, religious and cultural organizations, and the media. The platform is an open entity. Any relevant organization can be part of it and participate in activities, after going through a very simple registration process. 

Entities included in the platform:

National Authorities

• Ministry of Internal Affairs; Ministry of National Defence; Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure; Ministry of Economy; Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development; Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests; Ministry of Health; Ministry of Education; and Ministry of Finance
• Romanian Intelligence Service
• Special Telecommunications Service
• Protection and Guard Service, and Romanian General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations
• National Administration of State Reserves and Special Problems; National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority; and National Commission for Nuclear Activities Control
• State Secretariat for Religious Affairs
• Association of Communes of Romania
• Patriarch of All Romania; Romanian Greek Catholic Church; Federation of the Jewish Communities in Romania; Reformed Church in Romania; and Baptist Cult of Romania
• National Institute for Earth Physics; National Institute for Research and Development in Forestry "Marin Drăcea"; Geological Institute of Romania; National Research and Development Institute for Soil Science, Agrochemistry and Environment Protection; and National Institute for Research and Development in Constructions, Urbanism and Sustainable Spatial Development
• Romanian Academy; Technical University of Civil Engineering of Bucharest; Babeș-Bolyai University; and Gheorghe Asachi Technical University
• Romanian Red Cross and Save the Children Romania
• Habitat for Humanity Romania; World Vision Romania; Adventist Development and Relief Agency; and Romanian Caritas Confederation

Mandate

The national platform provides the legal and institutional framework for involving different entities outside the National Committee for Emergency Situations in DRR activities. 

The national platform provides support to the national authorities for the implementation of the international and regional strategies for DRR developed by the United Nations, the EU, NATO and other relevant entities. 

The mandate of the national platform: 

• Encourage cooperation between relevant stakeholders in all phases of disaster risk management
• Advocate for investments in raising community resilience and promote the "build back better" approach to disaster recovery
• Provide a framework for discussion on how to involve all relevant stakeholders, thus ensuring a national approach of disaster risk management
• Represent the focal point for communication with regional, European and international organization on DRR/disaster risk management.

Budget

There is no established specific budget for the platform. The ministries responsible for risk management finance the activities carried out under the auspices of the Platform, based on their area of responsibility. The budget is estimated each year based on the annual plan of activities.