Brussels, Belgium – The European Commission awarded a consortium led by MWH the four-year contract for the implementation of PPRD East II, the second phase of the programme for Prevention, Preparedness and Response to natural and manmade disasters in the Eastern Partnership countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine).
By strengthening the countries’ resilience, preparedness and response to disasters, the programme aims to contribute to the stability, security and prosperity of the countries and to protect the environment, population, cultural heritage, resources and infrastructure of the region. Consortium partners are two leading European civil protection agencies: the Danish Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) and Crisis Management Centre Finland (CMC Finland), together with the Austrian Red Cross and scientific research organization CIMA Research Foundation.
This second phase of the programme, which has been running since 2010, will focus on the further development of the capacities for disaster prevention, preparedness and response and on strengthening regional cooperation. Information dissemination and awareness rising will be a central component of the project with the aim to improve knowledge and understanding of risk exposure, preparedness and response capacities in the region.
The activities that MWH and the consortium partners will organize during implementation include capacity building mechanisms such as training workshops, seminars, study visits, table-top simulations and field training exercises.
Being a consortium member in sister project PPRD South II, in the Southern Mediterranean countries, MWH will be able to implement tested key features and guiding principles of implementation into the newly awarded project. MWH has global experience with complex and large scale programme management projects for disaster recovery and aims to share this global experience with its clients and partner countries.
Wim Drossaert, Europe-Africa President at MWH Global: “Next to considerable technical assistance experience in the region, we and the other consortium members have a significant track record in implementing projects related to disaster risk management and the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. We look forward to making this, the first project of its kind in the area of civil protection and disaster risk management for the countries in the region into a great success and widely promote MWH experience in this sector.”
