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GTZ and Azerbaijanâ€™s Ministry of Emergency Situations sign Memorandum of Understanding

14 November 2008 14:44 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Nijat Mustafayev â€“ APA-Economics. In 2007 the foundation was laid for bilateral cooperation between the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Azerbaijan focused on people centered early warning and natural disaster prevention.
In accordance with this, the parties have signed a Memorandum of Understanding which defines principal directions of activities and obligations of the parties in realization of the Memorandum specified projects.
The Memorandum will also serve to strengthen the mutual cooperation between Azerbaijan and Germany.
Natural disasters in Azerbaijan cause economic and ecological damage each and every year. The Sheki-Zagatala region is particularly affected by annual flash floods, mud flows, landslides and rock falls, which are mainly caused by heavy seasonal rainfalls. These harm local and region economies putting at threadbare sustainable living. The mountainous landscape with narrow, deep valleys and wide river beds increase the risk of natural disasters and raise the vulnerability of affected inhabitants. â€œThis cooperation is undisputedly necessary to reduce the vulnerability of local communities in disaster prone areasâ€, states Henning Hillmer, Project Advisor of the German Technical Cooperation`s (GTZ) Disaster Preparedness project in Azerbaijan.
For this reason alone, the Ministry of Emergency Situations has decided to select the Sheki, Gabala, and Balaken Rayons on the adret of Great Caucasus as the focus area for this pilot project, which is planned to be implemented during year 2008-2009.
The activities planned by this technical cooperation project are meant to establish and develop local capability in disaster preparedness and early warning systems on all levels.
The focus is laid upon the implementation of simple community based measures on disaster risk analysis, communication systems, and disaster management.
It is planned to carry out an analysis and inventory of existing risks in the region which will be taken into account during implementation of modern communication system on imminent danger and maintenance of readiness for possible disasters.