The regional meeting of the UN organisation INSARAG took place at the beginning of October in the Palace of Parliament in the Romanian capital Bucharest. Over the course of two days, high-ranking representatives and experts from the emergency and disaster management sector in the AEME region came together to discuss the strategic direction and priorities for the coming year. ISAR Germany was represented at the meeting by two experts.
INSARAG (International Search and Rescue Advisory Group) is a global network under the auspices of the United Nations that specialises in the coordination of urban search and rescue operations in the event of natural disasters.
AEME stands for Africa/Europe/Middle East and is one of the three geographical regions in which INSARAG is active. Within this region, INSARAG promotes cooperation and coordination between the countries in order to increase the efficiency of disaster relief.
During the meeting, participants worked in different groups to integrate the INSARAG Strategic Plan 2021-2026 into the regional AEME strategy for 2025. The discussions focused on the four strategic objectives - quality standards, localisation, flexible response and partnerships. Each of these topics was led by experts from different countries.
There were also reports on regional initiatives and progress, such as the development of the 2026-2031 INSARAG guidelines, as well as updates from other working groups and contributions to the EU Codex and other initiatives from Qatar and Tunisia.
Nicola Aders and Tim Poluzyn, who represented ISAR Germany at the meeting, drew a positive conclusion at the end. "For us as a classified INSARAG Medium Team for worldwide search and rescue operations, it is essential to be involved in shaping the latest trends, changes and decisions at these meetings and to maintain our network."