Disaster Risk Reduction Disaster Risk Reduction and Security in the OSCE Area*

Project Highlights South-Eastern Europe

• Two bilateral trainings held for 12 municipalities and 15 Aarhus Centres • Four local DRR plans developed through public participation • 600 local representatives, civil society activists, media professionals and students trained • 7870 copies of public education material distributed • Tailored online resource content developed and uploaded

* Financially supported by the governments of Switzerland, Austria, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein and the United States. ALBANIA – Vlora Municipality of Vlora is a coastal over EUR 122 million in damages PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS: • Technical working group city in the South of Albania which in the entire affected area. The established at local level to • 300 family guides on disaster is composed of five administrative situation led to the declaration prepare and lead the work on preparedness were distributed units. Two of its administrative of national emergency and to a DRR local plans and guidelines; in local schools; units are situated on the banks formal request to the European and • 1 simulation fire drill exercise of Vjosa River estuary. In case of Commission’s Directorate General • 4 DRR community based organized in a public school; floods, the river estuary is blocked for Humanitarian Aid and Civil awareness workshops by sea level rise which impedes Protection for activation of • Short awareness raising TV were organized in Orikum, the water level from receding the European Civil Protection documentary prepared and Novosele, Qender and Vlora more quickly. In addition, Vlora Mechanism. launched in social media; administrative units. is threatened by forest and • Briefing pack on DRR wildfires, erosion, snow blockage composed and posted and technological threats. The online for citizens and local February 2015 floods caused authorities;

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA – Goražde

Municipality of Goražde is situated PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS: posters in public spaces. The • 200 copies of informative in the east of Bosnia emergency alert posters were also material were distributed to Owing to the expertise provided and Herzegovina, on the banks of not harmonized so the project students; by the Ministry of Security of BiH/ the river Drina, in the Sava River initiated their harmonization in • 350 DRR manuals were Protection and Rescue Sector, a Basin. As such, it is at high risk both Entities. distributed to workshop new plan was prepared with the of floods. The last devastating participants and the public; involvement of all stakeholders The project beneficiaries identified floods occurred in December 2010 • 470 emergency alert posters dealing with DRR issues, including local community councils, fire when heavy rains combined with were printed and handed representatives of the civil society. fighters, school children and the release of water from the upstream to the municipality for An information pack focusing media as target groups for capacity hydropower station in building workshops. During the further distribution to local on disaster risk reduction was amplified the incoming flow, project: community councils; prepared and published on the causing EUR 7 million in damages. • 26 web articles were published municipal website. Research • New Municipal Protection and This was the most devastating about project activities conducted during the project Rescue Plan was prepared and flood recorded in the municipality’s • 3 hours of video material found that only 38 per cent of adopted; history. for awareness-raising was municipalities in the Federation • 12 DRR awareness-raising produced. of BiH and 31 per cent of workshops were organized municipalities in Republika Srpska with participation of 243 have placed emergency alert students and 58 professionals from various departments; MONTENEGRO – Ulcinj

Ulcinj is a historical coastal city PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS: With expertise provided by the participation and public on the Adriatic Sea coast of National Directorate of Emergency visibility; A multi-stakeholder working Montenegro. It is frequently Situations and support from group was established with • 1500 copies of awareness- exposed to flood and fire risk, with Aarhus Centre Nikšiċ: expertise provided by the raising brochures prepared, floods jeopardizing settlements, National Directorate of Emergency • Municipal Flood Protection published in 3 languages and farmland and roads. Of particular Situations. The group identified Plan was revised and distributed to the public. importance is the protection several activities that would submitted for adoption to the • Teachers from one elementary of the town’s valuable cultural strengthen the municipal local parliament; and one high school in Ulcinj heritage. institutional framework for • Recommendations were attended DRR education disaster risk reduction and prepared for municipal workshops following a tailored increase the public’s awareness plans dealing with fire and curriculum accredited by the and preparedness. earthquake hazard, with National Council of Education. specific focus on community

SERBIA – Bajina Bašta

Bajina Bašta is located in West responsible for the • Local government policies • Proposal for reorganization of , in the Drina River Basin. In environment, Republic hydro- and strategies in Bajina Bašta the civil protection system was recent years, the municipality was meteorological institute, were revised using DRR adopted; exposed to a variety of natural authorities responsible for methodology; • 5050 copies of information hazards that caused considerable emergency management • The existing disaster risk leaflets were distributed material damage and threatened and the Aarhus Center for management system was during advocacy campaign; human life. During the floods of South and East Serbia. This reviewed through multi- • A good practice example 2014, this municipality was one of multi-stakeholder group stakeholder engagement and showing inclusive municipal the most affected in Serbia. reviewed the municipal a draft proposal containing DRR management system was plans and contributed to recommendations for its promoted. PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS: reducing risks each from their improvement were developed; professional perspective, • A DRR Action Alliance in Bajina • Public consultations were held clearly defining the role of Bašta was formed, gathering informing the public about the every team member engaged stakeholders engaged in proposed amendments to the in emergency management at flood risk management, DRR plans; local level; including local administration, water authorities, Ministry Supporting From our partners: Cross-Border Learning and Co-operation

In the first half of December 2015, The regional meeting hosted In the frame of this pilot project the Office of the Co-ordinator for by the OSCE Mission to Bosnia supported by the OSCE Presence in OSCE Economic and Environmental and Herzegovina on 22-23 Albania, aimed at public awareness Activities worked with the OSCE September in Sarajevo gathered on natural and man-made disasters field operations in Albania, Bosnia the representatives of partner in Vlora municipality, we managed to and Herzegovina, Montenegro and municipalities, Aarhus Centres, prepare guidelines for local authorities Serbia to organize two bilateral national ministries responsible and local communities on how they trainings for 12 municipalities for disaster risk management should be better prepared in forest fire (Orašje, Bijeljina, Goražde (BiH), and OSCE field operations. The situations. Additionally, we managed Bajina Bašta, Priboj, Šamac meeting allowed for presentation to prepare a guide for safe use of gas tanks which is an emerging (Serbia), Vlora, Lezhe and Shkodra of activities and results within the threat in Vlora municipality. (Albania), Ulcinj, Podgorica and project, both from the municipal Dritan Leli, Cetinje (Montenegro) and 15 and Aarhus Centres’ perspective. Mayor of Vlora, Albania Aarhus Centres in South-Eastern Participants signed joint Europe. The trainings took place recommendations and conclusions in Budva and Sarajevo, gathering from the meeting agreeing on close to 80 professionals from future co-operation priorities in Disaster risk reduction is essential in national ministries, civil defence the region. local development planning therefore and urban planning units as well it was important to us to prepare our as staff of Aarhus Centres. In both municipal Protection and Rescue Plan trainings, the participants visited in line with European and international field locations to witness first-hand standards. The regional training we the impact of disasters as well as attended in December 2015 conveyed practice the understanding and international standards and practices evaluation of risk concepts. to us, but also showed us that in the region are all dealing with the same challenges. The project enabled us to establish co-operation with the Municipality of Bajina Bašta. Samira Drakovac, Assistant Mayor for Civil Defense and Local Community Councils, Goražde,

The territory of our municipality is exposed to risks with varying intensity during the year. In the rainy season, we have an increased flood risks, but during the summer we have a high risk of open fires. That is why the co-operation we established with the National Directorate for Emergency Situations as well as the Aarhus Center, through this project, is very important for us, because it enables us to update the existing and prepare for new municipal risk reduction plans. Also, the public will be better informed and benefit more from these plans. Fljamur Selović, Head of the Firefighting Department, Ulcinj, Montenegro

Within this project we prepared two municipal plans that will enhance our institutional framework for disaster risk More information about OSCE activities can be found at: reduction. All documents were prepared in line with national methodology and www.osce.org/eea with community participation. The www.osce.org/secretariat/disaster-risk-reduction most vulnerable communities were also targeted with public information leaflets containing specific guidelines on preparedness and response in emergency situations. Dragana Ivanović, Environmental Inspector, Bajina Bašta, Serbia