Al Rumaithi: Federal law for crisis and emergency management soon

The event will be with the follow-up of H.H. Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE National Security Advisor and CEO of NCEMA, H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Presidential Affairs and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Centre of Meteorology & Seismology (NCMS), and Staff Brig. Gen. Pilot Sheikh Ahmad bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, President of the Critical National Infrastructure Authority (CNIA). The participants will be senior officials, decision makers, Ministers, Ambassadors, Counsels, members of the armed forces, and senior representatives from the private and public sectors; reaching a total of 1,800 participant.

The press conference was attended by representative of the strategic partners of CEMC 2010: the NCMS, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), the CNIA, Dubai Customs, the Health Authority - Abu Dhabi (HAAD) and the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies & Research (ECSSR).

H.E. Mohammed Khalfan Al Rumaithi, NCEMA Director General, stated:

"The CEMC is one of the distinctive initiatives to serve the welfare of the UAE civic society, where we aim to build vital partnerships to establish a level of awareness and culture to respond to crisis and emergency situations and incidents. Hence, this would result in supporting the parties of the first response, and all throughout the stages of dealing with incidents. The CEMC is also considered a joint national scientific initiative that would enable us to face and respond to crises and emergencies in an effective and fast manner to protect lives and properties, and to coordinate efforts for national action."

"Following the success of CEMC 2008, we enhanced our fast response capabilities to wide spread crisis situations through developing the channels of coordination, communication and infrastructure with the relevant authorities all throughout the UAE and the GCC States. We also launched programmes aiming to increase awareness among the people with respect to the behavioural conducts necessary to follow in crisis situations," added Al Rumaithi.

The representatives of the six strategic partners briefed the media on the roles of their respective entities in managing crises and emergencies, along with the most important initiatives implemented by each entity in line with its strategic plans, which copes with the directives of the wise leadership of the UAE.

Answering a question on the possibility of a federal law under which all efforts would refer to as the basic source with respect to managing crisis and emergency situations, Al Rumaithi said: "After two years since establishing the NCEMA, we envisaged the necessity of formulating a federal law regarding emergency management to define the roles of the NCEMA, the National Security Council (NSC) and the local institutes. Hence, we are in the process of drafting this law, to be finalised in the coming few months."

The National Emergency and Crisis Management Authority (NCEMA) falls under the authority of the National Security Council (NSC). It is the leading national organisation responsible for managing and coordinating all efforts related to crises and emergencies. It is also the federal organisation responsible for developing national policies and procedures for training and auditing of all crisis and emergency management related activities on a national level.

The mission of NCEMA is to coordinate all national efforts to save lives, preserve national properties and assets by hindering the effect of emergencies and crises, and coordinate the national recovery efforts.

The objectives of NCEMA may be summarised by composing a unified federal emergency law that governs the management of national emergencies and consequently develop a National Response Plan (NRP); establishing a national emergency command centre to be responsible for coordinating and managing all capabilities and resources on a national level; establishing a national crisis and emergency command and control to be the executing arm for the NCEMA responsible for managing national capabilities and resources and coordinating between all parties participating in emergency response; ensuring preparedness of all organisations involved in the management of emergency and crisis within the UAE by conducting periodic training and exercises; organising an annual international crisis and emergency management conference aiming to raise awareness and improve performance and effectiveness of emergency response efforts and capabilities for the UAE; establishing a national crisis and emergency collage to be responsible for establishing unified national definitions and standards of all crisis and emergency related concepts to ensure integration and collaboration and proper coordination between all related parties and organisations within the UAE; training, conducting research, developing improved communication and other related mechanisms; and raising public awareness for matters related to crisis and emergency management.