All The Over World All Over The World INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES INTERNATIONAL REPUBLIC OF TURKEY PRIME MINISTRY DISASTER AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PRESIDENCY Adress: Kızılırmak Mah. Ufuk Üniversitesi Cd. No: 12 2013 Çukurambar / Söğütözü / Çankaya / Ankara - TURKEY Department of Presidency Pbx: +90 (312) 258 23 23 afadbaskanlik Strategy Presidency Fax: +90 (312) 220 26 12 Development www.afad.gov.tr 2013 All Over the World INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES 2013 Foreword In today’s world where great change is experienced in all areas of life, In AFAD’s Strategic Plan for 2013-2017, our 5th Goal is “To become the field of disaster management is also facing significant changes a leading organization in the international arena.” AFAD assumes and developments in international cooperation. This cooperation an important role in the determination of the disaster management appears in both the mitigation and also response and recovery policies of Turkey, and it aims to become a leading organization in stages, and it reduces loss of lives and properties occurring as a the world by increasing its institutional presence in the international result of disasters. Given that the global climate change and instability arena. Within the framework of this goal, the HOPEFOR (Humanitarian will cause disasters and emergencies to an unforeseeable extent, the Operation Force) Initiative was launched under the auspices of the UN importance of making policies based on strategic cooperation is an with the efforts of three countries (Republic of Turkey, the Dominican undeniable fact. Republic, and Qatar) for the purpose of enhancing the coordination and effectiveness of Military Civil Defense Assets (MCDA) in responding to Today, Turkey is a country that is developing in every field, assuming disasters. The 2nd International Conference on the HOPEFOR Initiative a leading role in the solution of international problems, and setting an was organized in Antalya on 28-30 November 2012 by AFAD. This example in the region. As the Disaster and Emergency Management conference aimed to further elaborate the theoretical discussions on Presidency (AFAD), we are determined to do our share in achieving the concept of the effective coordination of Military and Civil Defense the 2023 Vision of Turkey in line with the above mentioned mission Assets. and to ensure that our country becomes a country setting an example in the field of disaster management. This is the goal which we are International organizations, particularly the United Nations, have continually trying to attain. engaged in many initiatives for the purpose of developing global policies primarily on disaster risk reduction and the prevention Thanks to the support of our distinguished Prime Minister Recep of disasters. The HYOGO Framework for Action (HFA) for Building Tayyip ERDOĞAN and Deputy Prime Minister Beşir ATALAY, and in the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters and the line with our objectives, we have responded to disasters around the Millennium Development Goals are prominent among these initiatives. world as well as within our own borders without discrimination on the grounds of language, religion and race. Successful search and In this framework of HFA, alongside preparations undertaken by other rescue operations, and humanitarian aid activities were executed countries, as TURKEY, we have also been working hard to comply under the coordination of AFAD; and due to these successes, our with obligations set during the World Conference of HFA in Hyogo of nation’s reputation in the international arena is growing day by day. Japan in 2005. In this context, we have been nominated by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) to lead a project and representatives of the United Nations. Owing to the powerful called School Safety Resilience in South Eastern European Countries. support it has provided the United Nations, in which it has assumed All Over the World Eventually, results of this project will be presented during the 3rd World an active role for the establishment of more extensive humanitarian INTERNATIONAL Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai, Japan in 2015. aid partnerships, and its strategic location in the heart of Europe, Asia, ACTIVITIES and the Middle East, Turkey has the capability and experience as an 2013 The Enhancement of the Effectiveness of Emergency and international donor to successfully organize this summit. Humanitarian Aid Component (the 5th Component of the 25th Program) ForewordChapter 1 of the Program for Developing the Infrastructure for International Furthermore, our country adopts international policies on reducing Bilateral and Multilateral Cooperation for Development (KAGEP), is under the responsibility of disaster risks and preventing disasters, and conducts cooperative Activities of AFAD. This is also one of the Prioritized Transformation Programs in activities with many countries and international organizations such as AFAD the 10th Development Plan of Turkey. Within this framework, AFAD the United Nations and the European Union. is continuing to fulfill its duties and responsibilities in the field of emergency and humanitarian aid with its competent personnel and AFAD has acted as “Term Chair” between July and August 2012 for 3 its development of effective policies. “the Working Group on Cooperation in Emergency Assistance of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC)” and it shall execute the Our Presidency has accomplished many successful operations duty of “Country Coordinator” between 2013 and 2015. not only in Turkey, but in the international arena. AFAD has not acted indifferently to disasters and emergencies occurring even at In 2013, our country was the “chair” of the European Forum for extremely distant locations on the globe, and extended a helping Disaster Risk Reduction (EFDRR) Working Group on Governance and hand to Haiti, Japan, Chile, and Myanmar. It has also successfully Accountability, and it shall continue to act as chair in 2014. AFAD accomplished emergency and humanitarian aid operations in Libya, shall also act as chair of the Joint Hellenic Turkish Standby Disaster Tunisia and Egypt despite the problems created by social unrest, and Response Unit (JHET-SDRU) in 2014. even in Syria where, in large areas of the country, society has all but AFAD shall undertake the Vice-Presidency of the European disintegrated. Seismological Commission (ESC) between 2012 and 2014, and Turkey ranks 3rd after the United States and England in the field of our institution shall Co-Chair the Organizing Committee of the humanitarian aid, and operates in 4 continents and 40 countries. She same commission between 2013 and 2014. It is the only country is no longer an aid recipient country but an aid donor country and representative providing seismological data within the framework of has assisted many countries that have suffered from disasters. As a the Observatories and Research Facilities for European Seismology result of the successful models demonstrated by our country in the (ORFEUS). AFAD is also the country representative of the European field of humanitarian aid and the activities it has conducted, the UN Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC-CSEM) and earthquake decided to hold the first “World Humanitarian Summit” planned for data are synchronously shared with the Center. May, 2016 in Turkey with the participation of representatives from 90 AFAD actively participates in the United Nations International member states, non-governmental organizations, the private sector Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG), which deals with urban search and rescue (USAR) related issues, aiming to establish Last but not least, population movements into Turkey have been minimum international standarts for USAR teams and methodology continuing for over three years due to the conflict and domestic for international coordination in earthquake response. It actively unrest that broke out in Turkey’s southern neighbor, Syria. TURKEY participates in the regional decision-making meetings of the Disaster has implemented an OPEN-DOOR policy for Syrians, who were in fear Preparedness and Prevention Initiative of South-Eastern Europe of their lives and temporary shelter continues to be provided by AFAD (DPPI SEE) held twice a year and our cooperation with DPPI SEE is for Syrian nationals admitted into Turkey. increasing. I hope that our book, “All Over the World,” which covers our bilateral Furthermore, the International Symposium on Disaster Economics was and multilateral international meetings and activities in 2013, our held in Istanbul between 3-5 April, 2013 within the framework of the prominent humanitarian aid campaigns, and the services provided to Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) and with the participation of Syrians in Turkey will be beneficial. I would like to thank all AFAD staff DPPI SEE and ECO countries. In addition, our Presidency has attended working around the clock and also the project team who prepared the Regional Planning Council Meetings organized annually. As a this book. project outcome within the scope of the “Capacity-Building Project for Effective Disaster Risk Management” (AFAD- JICA Technical Cooperation), it is planned that the draft guidelines of the Local Disaster Risk Reduction Plan and Risk Assessment (earthquake/ tsunami, landslides, and man-made disasters) will be finalized by July 2014. As of December 2013, the Planning and Mitigation Department of Dr. Fuat OKTAY AFAD has become