Workshop on emergency preparedness and response focus on children - Iran
A workshop on emergency preparedness and response with a focus on Children was launched in Kish Island on Sunday 8th May within the framework of a joint cooperation agreement signed between the Ministry of Interior’ NDMO and UNICEF.
Participants ranged from different government organizations including provincial officials from Tehran, Alborz, Qazvin, Zanjan, Gilan, Mazandaran and Qom, the Ministry of Interior’s National Disaster Management Organization, Ministry of Health, State Welfare Organization, Ministry of Education, Iranian Red Crescent Society, Imam Khomeini Charity Foundation, as well as a number UN agencies namely OCHA, WFP and UNDP.
During the training the facilitators, two international UNICEF emergency specialists and one international OCHA humanitarian affairs officer, will engage participants in technical discussions and group work in different areas of emergency preparedness and response with the aim of strengthening inter-sectoral coordination and cooperation during an emergency with a specific focus on children’s vulnerabilities.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Deputy Minister of Interior and Head of the National Disaster Management Organization Mr Esmail Najjar, said:” In an emergency, sometimes we are able to undo the physical damage and rebuild the ruins, but the emotional damage cannot be undone easily, the broken spirit of a child cannot be simply restored and the warm embrace of parents could not be easily replaced.” He referred to the joint successful collaboration between the International and National organizations to respond to the Bam emergency and emphasized the critical role of translating the lessons learned into a common language to be shared with the next generations.
UN Resident Coordinator, Mr Gary Lewis, was also among key officials speaking at the opening ceremony of the workshop. Mr Lewis highlighted: “it’s necessary for all organizations to work hand in hand in a well-coordinated, synergic and complementary manner to ensure that the most appropriate and timeliest preparedness and response is happening when needed, and no single affected human being is left out unsupported.”&Բ;
Meanwhile, UNICEF Deputy Representative, Ms Christine Weigand, referred to the Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action –the CCCs – as the framework for humanitarian action emphasizing reliable preparedness and early recovery and guiding UNICEF’s work in an emergency. She said: “In UNICEF we advocate for placing children at the heart of emergency preparedness and response.”
The workshop is expected to be the first in a series of four thematic sessions where UNICEF jointly with other involved UN agencies and NDMO will focus on exchanging the technical knowledge and experience in emergency preparedness and response under the four sectors of Health and Nutrition, Education, WASH and Child Protection.