Inzet van vrijwilligers bij burgerbescherming en humanitaire interventies moet versterkt worden (en)

Met dank overgenomen van Cypriotisch voorzitterschap Europese Unie 2e helft 2012 i, gepubliceerd op woensdag 14 november 2012.

The workshop “Best practices on the assistance of volunteers in Civil Protection and Humanitarian Interventions”, which will take place at ‘Filoxenia’ Conference Center, in Nicosia, on 15-16 November 2012, aims to strengthen volunteerism. The Minister of Interior of Cyprus, Ms Eleni Mavrou i, and the EU Commissioner of International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, Ms Kristalina Georgieva i, will attend the meeting.

The workshop aims to strengthen volunteerism at both national and international levels through the exchange of best practices, the provision of a forum for learning and networking, and through the development of practical recommendations for Member States, the European Commission, and NGOs alike. Focus will be placed on the shaping of the European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps (EVHAC). Experts from civil protection and humanitarian aid from EU Member States and candidate countries have been invited. Given that experts from both the field of civil protection and that of humanitarian aid will be present, comparisons between these two fields can be drawn, and ways of jointly moving forward the EU’s strategy on volunteerism can be discussed.

On the first day, discussions will begin with presentations given by keynote speakers coming from United Nations Volunteers, the Red Cross, the European Commission and from Cyprus. After the presentations, the participants will split into working groups to discuss issues which fall under three main topics:

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    Working/Deployment Conditions for Volunteers
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    Management of Volunteers
  • - 
    Training of Volunteers

On the second day, a plenary session is planned to discuss the results of the working groups. This plenary will be open to members of the Council Working Party on Humanitarian Aid and Food Aid (COHAFA). Both the EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, Ms Kristalina Georgieva, and Cyprus’ Minister of Interior, Ms Eleni Mavrou, will be present at the plenary session.