Speech by Terry Davis, Secretary General of the at the 20th Anniversary of the EUR-OPA Major Hazards Partial Agreement Town Hall , 20 march 2007

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I should like to thank the Mayor of Strasbourg, Fabienne Keller, for welcoming us to the Town Hall on the occasion of the 20th Anniversary of the signature of the European and Mediterranean Major Hazards Agreement (EUR-OPA).

A famous compatriot of mine, Samuel Richardson, once wrote that Calamity is the test of integrity, and he was right. Disasters have the power to bring the best or the worst out of every individual.

Disasters can have devastating effects on our societies because of their human toll, because of their serious economic impact, because of the destruction of houses and infrastructure, because of the sense of insecurity that they bring. How we prepare for them and how we react if they occur is very important. Two years ago at the Summit of the Council of Europe, our Heads of State and Government adopted an action plan in which they encouraged member States to develop and integrate policies in the field of prevention and management of natural disasters.

The stakes are high, and we need to act quickly with competence and resolve.

In recent years, we have seen floods repeatedly devastate Europe, we have experienced very serious forest fires in Spain and Portugal and heat waves in , with many casualties. An earthquake hit Morocco, the country which currently chairs the Agreement. The tsunami in South East Asia killed many thousands of people including Europeans, and the experts tell us that the economic risk of natural disasters is increasing every year because we are not winning the battle to make our societies safer and more resilient in the face of the unavoidable hazards of nature. The situation is actually worsening as human beings keep carelessly changing the face of the earth. Climate change is seen by many as the most important threat to mankind. It can alter our societies profoundly because it is likely to generate further drought, famine and other climate-related disasters. It can create millions of environmental refugees and increase migration flows from poverty stricken countries which will affect us all, North and South.

Unfortunately, our societies are ill prepared to face these changes and, because the stakes are so high, it is vital that the Council of Europe strengthens its role in preventing the effects of natural hazards and technological accidents. At the Council of Europe we are proud of the work which has been done over the last twenty years by the EUR-OPA Agreement and its network of Specialised Centres in the many fields of disaster reduction; in creating a culture of risk which increases people‘s safety as they become more aware of the threats; in encouraging more efficient ways of dealing with emergency situations; in promoting the appropriate laws and standard setting instruments; in proposing innovative work in the training of specialists or the early warning of disasters. Throughout history, mankind has learned, often the hard way, that we are part of nature - not its master. What we can do is treat it with respect, and be prepared for its occasional eccentric outbursts. It is a global problem and needs a global approach, but Europe through the Council of Europe has been contributing to this important task during the past 20 years and will continue to do so in the future.