The Emirates Center for Strategic Studies & Research (ECSSR) in Abu Dhabi will host the second round of the Emergency and Crisis Management Conference 2010, due to be held from January 11 to 13 at ECSSR Headquarters.

“The conference will address several emergency and crisis management issues, and will review many research papers presented by prominent world experts from all over the world, focusing on this vital subject,” said Mohammed Khalfan Al Rumaithi, general manager of the National Emergency & Crisis Management Authority.

“The aim is to come up with the best strategies to deal with emergencies and crises of national security caliber, including public health threats, like H1N1, and national security issues,” he added.

Al Rumaithi continued: “This annual conference is part of the Authority’s responsibility towards civil society. It brings together crisis and emergency experts from around the world, government officials, military personnel, ambassadors and diplomats, representatives of the public and the private sectors alike, and also businesses, to discuss the challenges facing the world, like the H1N1 epidemic.”

“The conference is one of the Authority’s initiatives to build and develop partnerships that would establish a level of awareness to respond to emergencies and accidents. It is also a key national scientific initiative which empowers the Authority to act effectively in times of crisis, thus protecting human life and property,” he added.

He said that the National Emergency and Crisis Management Authority handles two kinds of crises and emergencies: those made by man, like terrorist acts or industrial and construction accidents, and those that are acts of Nature, like earthquakes and climate disasters.

It has three ways of addressing such cases: education, wide awareness campaign and communications program. He stressed that the Authority is the first Arab organisation that specializes in this important field.

He added that the conference targets the third level of officials in competent bodies to help simplify communication, enhance planning and boost cooperation and support in times of crisis. – TradeArabia News Service