The West Bank is Shaking

(Al Bireh: 17/11/2011): PRCS organized a workshop on Disaster Preparedness Mechanisms in cooperation with the Palestinian Civil Defense and UNRWA.
60 participants took part in this workshop entitled “The West Bank is Shaking”. The workshop aimed at enhancing disaster preparedness and coordination as well as defining roles and responsibilities in order to ensure an efficient and organized response and to employ all available means, capacities and resources, both national and international

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In his opening speech, Dr. Younis Al Khatib, PRCS President, highlighted the importance of this workshop. “Most training focuses on natural disasters, but we must not forget that man-made disasters, mainly caused by occupation, have the biggest impact in Palestine. Palestinian disaster management capacities have been developed over the long years of occupation, leading to an increase in our capacity to face natural disasters as well.

Moreover, international cooperation is very important: PRCS not only receives assistance from abroad, but it also took part in efforts to face natural disasters in India, and man-made disasters in both Kosovo and Libya”, he added.
Mr. Felipe Sanchez, Director of UNRWA Operations in the West Bank, said that the Disaster Rish Reduction Program focuses on building the capacities of local communities through community-based awareness raising activities and programs as well as through training courses. He valued the great efforts made by PRCS to prepare the Palestinian society to face natural disasters and lauded cooperation between PRCS and other organizations working in the oPT

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Mr. Ahmad Rizk, Director General of the Palestinian Civil Defense, commended the experience and capacities of PRCS. He touched on the close cooperation between the Civil Defense and PRCS which was crowned with a Cooperation Agreement between both parties. “Palestinians are facing the longest and most horrendous disaster in history, i.e. occupation”, he said. He then wished success to the workshop as well as to local and international cooperation efforts aimed at facing both natural and man-made disasters.