Honored Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen

Opening address at GAREC-2008 By Ole Garpestad, President IARU Region 1

Honored delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen

It is a pleasure for me representing the International Amateur Radio Union to greet you here at this opening of the 4th GAREC-2008 in Friedrichshafen. A special thank to DARC Deutche Amateur Radio Club, DARC for making it possible to hold this GAREC in conjunction with this years Ham Radio fair.

The continuity of GAREC also seems to be secured as the venue of the 5th GAREC will be announced tomorrow.

The opportunity for radio amateurs to help the community with their radio skills is something that I can remember back from my early days as radio amateur. For many of us this skill started with easy assignments during sport events and with smaller rescue operations in the mountains during Eastern holiday.

The importance of and awareness of EmComms by Amateur Radio operators has grown a lot since these first events and particularly since the tsunami and the Kathrina. Now radio amateurs frequently assisting with communication after disasters created by tornados, hurricanes (USA), earthquakes (latest China) etc. almost every week somewhere in the world.

Even though radio amateurs have the necessary operating skills, equipment and motivation to provide emergency communication, there is always room for mre training and better planning.

Today many radio amateurs seek to enhance their communication skills by providing communication for events conducted by other organizations f. example charity.

The GAREC is an important tool in this planning and information exchange procedure. The GAREC-process has produced us COA's (center-of activity-frequencies), the use of /D sign in our Simulated Emergency Tests as well as better connections with authorities.

It is really only since 2003 when the ITUs international radio regulations were changed to encourage international emergency communication by amateurs that cross border emergency communication became possible in many countries. That is why the Global SET (simulated emergency test) is so important

New ideas that will be presented here are possible establishment of EmComm Centres by Amateur Radio Operators. An essential part there is a permanent connection to the authorities’ EmComm network. There might be a need to find an international solution/practice how this permanent connection will be build up. The ITU has a key role on this.

We have just taken first steps to be better organized for EmComms. It will be a long journey but we have to remember: we are good communicators, we have good equipments, we know how to build up connections between multiple points in difficult circumstances etc. The basic question is to find practices how we operate in the cases of emergencies for getting best possible benefits of our unique skills as Amateur Radio Operators. We are not beginners.

Let me then as a last remark, mention that in order to emphasize the importance of amateur radio disaster and emergency communication, the IARU AC has at its meeting in Konstanz this week adopted the following theme for the next World Amateur Radio Day, April 18, 2009: “Amateur radio: Your resource in Disaster and Emergency Communication.