Under the direct leadership of Italy's President of the Council of Ministers, the country's Civil Protection Department has developed a highly efficient emergency management coordination system that mobilizes not only the Civil Defense Forces but also technical experts who monitor vulnerabilities and disasters in real time, as well as an extensive and highly organized force of volunteers.
The Italian Civil Protection National Service has been touted as a best practice globally and extensively, and it was positively evaluated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). It is able to respond to, and as much as possible predict, disasters relating to earthquakes; volcanoes; floods, landslides, and coastal erosion; forest fires; and disasters emanating from industrial activities. More recently, the system was mobilized in response to the spread of unknown epidemics.
Given the importance of such a system to the ESCWA region, and the increasing threat of natural disasters and calamities both globally and regionally, ESCWA Executive Secretary Badr AlDafa and Director of Programme Planning and Technical Cooperation Division Roberto Laurenti went on a mission to Italy earlier this month to explore the possible replication of this system in the ESCWA region.
The two UN officials also held meetings with high-level Italian officials to foster new partnerships and introduce ESCWA to the Italian Government. These meetings were conducted in the spirit of establishing new channels of cooperation with Italy, which expressed its wish to join the Regional Commission as an observer.
As part of its mandate, ESCWA acts as a bridge for cooperation and experience-sharing between its member states and foreign countries. It is a platform that facilitates the exchange, and possibly the replication, of knowledge with foreign and regional counterparts.
