GCC affirms keenness to protect nationals from hazards
ROME: The GCC yesterday affirmed keenness to enhance its civil protection system to the highest international levels via linking it with the most advanced systems in Italy and EU countries. Out of their keenness to insure the safety of Gulf citizens and security of their homelands, GCC leaders decided to establish the GCC Emergency Management Centre in December 2013, Retired Lt General Fahad Al-Sharqawi, GCC EMC’s President, stated to KUNA.
Al-Sharqawi made his remarks on the sidelines of his official visit to Italy, alongside administrative and technical teams, to prepare for the link project between the GCC systems and the European systems, slated for early 2019. The GCC EMC was formed in light of the events that took place in the Middle East region at the time, including the activation of illegal nuclear facilities, political instability, and the overall tension found in some neighboring countries that have posed a great danger to the safety of Gulf citizens and properties, he added.
The GCC EMC delegation visited the Civil Protection Department in Rome and the European Joint Research Center in Milan as part of a program aimed to boost GCC-EU prospects, Al-Sharqawi noted. The visits were an important step in line with the Center’s 2016-2020 strategy, which was made under the supervision of the GCC Secretariat General, he added. The five-year strategic plan aims to propel the GCC EMC to the fullest operational capacities through welltrained Gulf cadres, Al-Sharqawi said, noting the Center’s headquarters in Kuwait is equipped with the latest state of the art technology and enhanced operation rooms. The Center aims to obtain an international recognition as an international hub and resource for managing regional disasters, he said, it is, thus, cooperating with a number of international organizations such as the EU, International Atomic Energy Agency, and US Federal Emergency Management Agency to build Gulf capacities through joint trainings, workshops, and projects.
The GCC EMC has determined three strategic goals from the GCC-EU link project; boosting the capability of managing regional hazards through enhancing and exchanging information, backing regional events response through coordination and resources management, bolstering regional integration through forming joint systems and unified standards for response operations, Al-Sharqawi said.
The GCC-EU link project falls within the core of the Center’s strategic plans, he said, adding it would attain vital information exchange between GCC states. The project also includes a simulator program to identify the severity and effect of a situation, Al-Sharqawi noted, adding that such function would assist in determining necessary logistic supplies, and provide recommendations on ways to handle the incident.