Cities and regions’ potential role in Mediterranean civil protection

The objective of the study is to explore the role cities and regions could play in the national civil protection system. This will be done by clarifying the role of local and regional authorities (LRAs) and providing them with a roadmap to implement this role within their respective national systems. This study is linked to the intention of the Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean to “lay the foundations for an online platform, serving as repository of knowledge and a forum for dialogue, and a Mediterranean pool of experts who can provide advice.” LRAs need the civil protection mechanism and the LRAs to work together to build resilience, according to the report.
The analytical framework of this study is based on the concept of resilience, which is aligned with civil protection, disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation. The framework consists of three elements: key principles, activity scope, and activity type. The key principles are subsidiarity and shared responsibility.
The activities cover before (risk management), during (disaster management) and after (recovery management) shocks and stresses. Activity types refer to whether the intent is to improve decision mechanisms, knowledge products and information or operational capacity.