The Delegation of the European Union (EU) in Haiti, has announced today the signing of an agreement named "European Programme for strengthening the national system of risk management and disaster (PER-SNGRD)" which aims to strengthen the national system of risk management and disaster management.

"The European Union decided to help the population, that we saw trying to help the victims of the quake, it was generally deprived of means and who did not have the technical, by launching this program that consists to strengthen the national system of risk management and disaster" indicated the program coordinator, Alain Damit.

The agreement signed between the Haitian Minister of Interior, Paul-Antoine Bien-Aimé, and the Ambassador of the EU, Lut Fabert, provides among other things of equip Haiti with materials and equipment of first urgency, and an emergency operations center. With this center, "the civil protection will be able to coordinate in real time the different interventions in the field of rescue and first response but also to ensure stakeholder coordination" indicated the Minister Bien-Aimé.

"This program, lasting 18 months, has an initial value of 15 million euros. The European Union welcomes the opportunity to officially launch this program in partnership with the Haitian government" said the Ambassador, adding that "This programme also aims to strengthen the capacity of the Haitian Government to deal with natural catastrophes and disasters". In total, the EU provides commit 50 million euros for the management of crises in Haiti.

With the approach of the hurricane season, hundreds of containers of equipment will be pre-positioned in different regions of Haiti, while 1200 volunteers will be trained in the ten departments to be ready to respond to disasters. Four European experts will work to train emergency personnel, while a thirty firefighters will be responsible for the implementation of the warning device.

The Minister of the Interior has described "this project as one of the largest programs to strengthen civil protection in Haiti [...] This program is a qualitative and quantitative leap in the international aid to the Haitian civil protection."

HL/ HaitiLibre