On 10th February, 2023, in Warsaw, leaders of the International Centre for Chemical Safety and Security (ICCSS), Mr. Krzysztof Paturej, President the Polish Volunteer Fire Service Association (ZGOSP), Mr. Waldemar Pawlak, President, the NGO “PORUCH”, Ukraine, Mrs. Mariia Tyshchenko, President, Zukunftsforum Öffentliche Sicherheit (ZOES), Germany, Mr. Albrecht Broemme, President, and CADUS e.v, Germany, Mr. Tankred Beume, Head of Emergency Response, have signed, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation for reconstruction and support of local communities in Ukraine in safety and security, public health, environmental protection, and climate, and development of local centers of European integration.
The MoU acknowledges the urgent need to assist Ukraine and its society and citizens in rebuilding their country and restoring damaged infrastructure and core services, especially in areas affected by military Russia aggression against Ukraine. The MoU recognizes that there is a great need for assistance and cooperation to empower and engage all local stakeholders in the rebuilding and reconstruction process, particularly in providing material resources and equipment, introducing legal and administrative arrangements, and developing human capacities, including competencies in civil protection and volunteer fire services.
The MoU recognizes that Ukraine undergoes through enormous levels of damage, with many villages and cities destroyed and social links disrupted as a result of Russia's military aggression. The Parties to the MoU consider that to rebuild the country all parts of society, including the government, private sector, industry, civil society organizations, and media, shall be activated, and concentrate on local communities.
The Parties to the MoU are committed to working together to assist to organize necessary support and resources to help Ukraine and its citizens in local communities to recover from the Russia military aggression and build a stronger, safer, and more secure future. For this purpose the MoU initiates the development of whole-Ukraine program on the reconstruction and support of local communities in Ukraine in safety and security, public health, environmental protection, and climate, and development of local centers of European integration. The program aims to complement local communities with the adaptation of national laws and regulations regarding the development of self-government, local safety and volunteer fire brigades, and environmental protection, in line with European standards and best practices. The program will also involve the construction of model local crisis response stations and volunteer fire brigades, along with technical potential, the development of local staff, including the introduction of a certified system of training and exercises based on the train the trainers model, raising the level of social awareness and increasing the engagement of local Ukraine communities in activities for climate protection and ecological Europe, and the implementation of practices to introduce acceptable levels of safety for facilities with a high and increased risk of industrial accidents.
The Parties of the MoU have agreed to conduct an international conference in the end of spring 2023 in Poland and Ukraine to kick-off the program. The participation in the program development is open to all stakeholders from governments, international organizations, industries, academia, local communities, civil society, and business. The Parties of the MoU will function as leaders in their range of competences and seek further partnerships and support for the program.
The International Centre for Chemical Safety and Security (ICCSS) and NGO “Poruch” will coordinate the cooperation among the Parties and provide secretariat support for the implementation of this MoU.
For more information please contact:
Amb. Krzysztof Paturej at k.paturej@iccss.eu
Mrs, Dorota Czerw at d.czerw@iccss.eu
For more information on ICCSS cooperation and support for Ukraine please visit: www.iccss.eu