The training aims to unite the efforts of local authorities and rescue services to create an interagency coordination mechanism for risk assessment

Sviatohirsk, Ukraine, 18 February 2022 – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine, in partnership with ACTED and IMPACT, has conducted training sessions for representatives of local governments, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SES), rapid response services and academics.

The training focused on risk assessment and developing coordinated actions to effectively address the consequences of potential threats arising in conflict-affected communities in eastern Ukraine. The sessions were held on 16-18 February, and were financed by the European Union.

Training session participants mastered the skills of conducting a qualitative assessment of community vulnerability, natural and man-made threats, and analysed the resources available in communities to overcome the consequences of possible crises.

Federica Dispenza, the head of the Community Security and Social Cohesion Component of the UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme, underlines that today, crises are not created by one specific risk, rather by the interaction of multiple hazards. For this reason, the key to a successful crisis response is for all actors in charge of responding to emergency situations to join efforts to assess and mitigate such risks.

“In times of uncertainty, it is very important not to lose sight of how threats and vulnerabilities of a different nature can strengthen each other: from damage to houses, roads, and administrative buildings caused by hostilities, to economic deprivation that follows an escalation of the conflict, to natural disasters such as forest fires, for example,” Dispenza said.

“By joining our forces to gain a shared understanding of the risks we face and how we can mitigate them, we can do so much more together to help the people who need our help most.” 

She added that “UNDP is ready to join hands with all our partners to ensure that in the event of a crisis we can collectively respond faster and most effectively.”

Based on the learning outcomes, an interagency coordination mechanism for risk assessment should be set up. The mechanism will help all actors respond more effectively to crisis situations and prevent threats to conflict-affected communities in eastern Ukraine.

Yana Zhovnirenko, ACTED project manager noted that the training sessions would help more effectively coordinate joint actions on risk management, disaster mitigation and plan in order to avoid possible risks and respond to the consequences accordingly. 

“This work is extremely relevant and necessary,” Zhovnirenko said. “For instance, in recent years the risk of natural disasters has increased significantly. Fires and floods in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts have revealed that local authorities do not always have the appropriate level of training and resources to deal with the consequences of these disasters. Today, as tensions at the borders increase, so does the workload of local governments, rescue services and response services.”

“We believe that our joint efforts to establish an interagency coordination mechanism for risk assessment will not be in vain and will contribute to strengthening security in eastern Ukraine, as well as serve as a solid foundation for creating a national methodology for risk assessment,” she added.

The training was organized under the UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme.

Background

The United Nations Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme (UN RPP) is being implemented by four United Nations agencies: the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO).

Twelve international partners support the Programme: The European Union (EU), the European Investment Bank (EIB), the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, and the governments of Canada, Denmark, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden and Switzerland.

Media enquiries: communications.ukraine@undp.org