Press release
All Island Disaster Risk Reduction Conference
Published on
Last updated on
Published on
Last updated on
Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Micheál Martin today addressed the 2nd All-Island Disaster Risk Reduction Conference.
This conference is part of the annual Disaster Risk Reduction Conference series hosted by the Office of Emergency Planning and as part of the government’s Shared Island Initiative.
This series of conferences promotes North/South dialogue on strategic emergency management and commissions research to inform cross-border cooperation on preparedness and resilience. The theme for this year’s conference is emergency communications.
The Tánaiste said:
“The government’s Shared Island Initiative is about deepening cross-border connections and interaction, on common concerns for our shared future. In the context of this conference, such sustained dialogue and deeper understanding is crucial to facing and dealing with the risks our island faces.
"The importance of developing close working relationships was highlighted by the support provided at the tragic event at Creeslough last year and during the recent flooding events in the past weeks with communities affected both North and South.
"Such challenges bring to light the importance of communicating public safety messages in a coherent and unified way to communities’ on both sides of the border.”
Attendees and speakers at the conference came from across the island of Ireland and Europe, with a particular focus on those working at strategic level in public administration, semi-State, academic, voluntary, and private sectors.
Jacqui McCrum, Secretary General of the Department of Defence, said:
"The objective of all emergency communications is to protect the public and responders, by ensuring that the necessary information is available to facilitate timely and informed decision making, and that the public and responders are given relevant, timely, concise, complete and accurate information and advice regarding imminent and ongoing emergencies."
A research funding call was announced at the conference on cross-border aspects to emergency planning and cooperation, specifically on topics Strategic Emergency Management in the Recovery Phase and Innovation in Emergency Management.
A workshop day was held on specific emergency communication -focused topics led by sector experts including information management in crises, strategies recovering from traumatic events and communication strategies during crises taking into account the importance of countering disinformation. The results of these workshops will contribute to better preparedness and unified vision across the island.
This All Island Disaster Risk Reduction Conference series was commenced in light of the significant crises and emergency situations that have, or could have, an impact on a cross-border basis on the island of Ireland. The growing complexity of risks highlights the value in increasing cross-sectoral and cross-border cooperation for emergency preparedness, management, recovery, and resilience.
Details of how to apply for the announced research grants and how much funding is available can be found on the Office of Emergency Planning website or by writing to the Office of Emergency Planning using the contact details for this event: conference@drr.gov.ie
The conference is hosted by the Office of Emergency Planning in the Department of Defence in association with the Shared Island unit in the Department of the Taoiseach.
The Office of Emergency Planning supports the Minister for Defence who chairs the GTF on Emergency Planning. It has an oversight function on emergency planning and supports the Minister for Defence in preparing his annual report to Government on emergency planning. It promotes coordination amongst departments in their emergency planning and encourages best use of resources.
Further information is available on the Emergency Planning website.
The government’s Shared Island initiative aims to harness the full potential of the Good Friday Agreement to enhance cooperation, connection and mutual understanding on the island and engage with all communities and traditions to build consensus around a shared future. Further information is available on the Shared Island website.