EU continues to support DRR in South Caucasus
The regional programme for “Disaster Risk Reduction to Improve Resilience of Communities and Institutions in the South Caucasus” has been launched today in Yerevan. The programme, funded by the European Commission under the Disaster Preparedness Programme (DIPECHO), is implemented by the Armenian Red Cross Society, OXFAM in Armenia partnering with OxYGen Foundation, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Save the Children. It will run until the end of 2017 and is carried out in close collaboration with the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Development, and the National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction.
The programme aims to make communities in areas prone to natural hazards less vulnerable, and to boost their resilience to natural and man-made hazards. The Humanitarian partner organisations will work in the provinces of Shirak, Lori, Aragatsotn, Gegharkunik, Tavush, Armavir, Syunik and Yerevan, with a special focus on the needs of children, women and persons with disabilities. The DIPECHO partners work in close collaboration with government stakeholders to include disaster management and risk reduction in the national, regional and local emergency management and education planning. The programme also aims to improve the ability of schools and pre-schools to react when disaster strikes, and to reduce disaster risks in the long term. Through the large scope of activities, the programme will also strengthen the cooperation in disaster risk reduction between leading agencies, government institutions, the National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction and other relevant national and regional structures in the South Caucasus.
This is the fourth phase of the DIPECHO programme in the South Caucasus. Since 2010, considerable efforts have been made to reduce the vulnerability of public inclusive and special schools and preschools and child care facilities. Support for disaster preparedness was provided to targeted communities, with the aim of increasing their capacity to protect lives and livelihoods and to mitigate the impact of disasters and climate change. In addition, evacuation, fire protection and other Disaster Risk Reduction training activities were conducted in public schools.