CEMC highlights need for new approach to crisis & disaster management, says NCEMA chief

'I am pleased to say that the UAE and the region is set to benefit substantially from the international knowledge and experiences shared at our conference over the past two days as well as from the excellent networking opportunity the CEMC provided for delegates representing crisis and emergency management stakeholders in this country and the region', Mohammed Khalfan Al Romaithy, General Manager of NCEMA, said.

Al Romaithy noted that the CEMC was held under the patronage of HH General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of UAE's Armed Forces, which underlined the Abu Dhabi Government's keenness to take this regional initiative forward.

The CEMC, held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Centre on March 3 and 4, was attended by 370 delegates representing 15 countries, including businesses that are active in support crisis and emergency management.

'One of our main objectives in organizing the CEMC was to bring together the world's leading crisis and emergency management experts and the UAE's and the region's stakeholders. The experts shared their insights, and I believe that the UAE and the region's organizations involved in crisis and emergency management have taken home important learnings from this conference,'

Al Romaithy said.

'The NCEMA is also certain that this conference will result in new and important initiatives and developments to strengthen the crisis and emergency management scenario and practices in the UAE and the region,' he said.

'The event played a role in highlighting the tremendous synergy needed between multiple organizations within a country as well as coordination between countries in tackling crisis and emergency management issues effectively. The NCEMA in particular intends to work closely with all UAE ministries to strengthen the UAE's crisis and disaster preparedness,' Al Romaithy added.

The sessions at the CEMC covered a diverse array of topics including emergency management case studies from Hurricane Gonu in Oman, Hurricane Katrina in the US and the Earthquake in Pakistan in 2005; risk mitigation strategies adopted by major corporations including Saudi Aramco and ADNOC; counter-terrorism and security preparations for the upcoming London Olympics and insights on coordinating multi-national responses to trans-border animal diseases and the re-establishment of telecom networks after a disaster.

The speakers at the CEMC were: Lord Alan West, Parliamentary, Under Secretary of State at the UK Home Office; Colonel Azhar Al Kindi, Director Executive Office of the National Committee for Civil Defense of the Royal Oman Police; Lt. Gen Nadeem Ahmed, Deputy Chairman, ERRA (Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority of Pakistan); Khalid Al Harbi, Regional Oil Spill Coordinator for Arabian Gulf for Saudi Aramco; Tarique Ghaffur, Assistant Commissioner and Head of Central Operations & Olympic Security Coordinator, UK Metropolitan Police; Dr. Saleh Mousa Al Tae'e, Secretary General of the UAE Red Crescent, Rear Admiral Thomas Atkin, Commander of the Deployable Operations Group - US Coast Guard; Dag Nielsen, Director Ericsson Response; Dean Monterey, Director Emergency Management Solutions, EmerGeo Solutions; Randa Fouad, President of the Arab Media Forum for Environment and Development and Mark Camillo, formerly Deputy Assistant Director of the US Secret Service.

Attendees at the conference included top officials including Ministers, Ambassadors, Military Attaches and senior officials from the public and private sector. The countries represented by the delegates at the conference included the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Italy, France, Spain, Switzerland, the UK, Canada and the US.

CEMC received impressive feedback from conference delegates. 'For a first-time initiative, the conference was excellent and a very good opportunity to learn from the experiences of governments and individuals from around the world. My biggest take-away from the conference is the role of proactive communications in an emergency and how rumours can be controlled in a crisis situation,' said Major Mohammed Al Ansari, from the UAE's Ministry of Interior, who is a member of the United Nations Disaster Assessment & Coordination (UNDAC) team.

Yusuf Ateeq Al Hamad, an officer from the Civil Defense forces in Qatar, said: 'The conference had a number of new topics and helped in understanding the variety of areas involved in disaster and crisis management. I would like to thank the UAE government for taking the initiative to organize this conference.'

Asim Al Khalifa, Regional Manager for the Holland's Waqf Foundation, said that the event provided participants with new perspectives. 'The sessions on anti-terrorism operations were very interesting and were in fact a bonus. The methods adopted by western governments in dealing with emergency situations were an eye-opener.'

Craig Dennis from Emergeo Services in Australia said that the CEMC was an 'outstanding event' and all disciplines of crisis management were covered at the conference.

Tom Brunn, Service Operations Analyst at NorConsult Telematics, said that the CEMC provided a good networking opportunity and highlighted the importance of planning and the need for a well-structured control system in dealing with crises.

NCEMA thanked the platinum sponsors of the event - Etisalat, Sorouh Real Estate, Al Qudra Holding, First Gulf Bank and Al Foah Palm Sector Development Company - for supporting the event. The Authority also thanked the Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, which was the main registration sponsor, and Aldar Properties, which sponosored the CEMC gala dinner. The conference was produced by Reed Exhibitions Middle East.