EU-RESPOND HNS TTX - Awareness Training Armenia - April 2026

The Awareness Training - Armenia

On 16 April 2026, the EU‑RESPOND consortium delivered an Awareness Training on the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) and Host Nation Support (HNS) at the Educational Complex of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Armenia.

This activity represents a key milestone in preparation for the upcoming Host Nation Support Tabletop Exercise (4–9 October 2026).

Context and Training Objectives

The Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) enables coordinated European disaster response and mutual assistance among participating states. For such assistance to be effective, requesting countries must have the capacity to receive, coordinate and integrate incoming international teams efficiently. This is the core objective of Host Nation Support (HNS).

The training brought together more than 20 representatives from Armenia’s core ministries, operational services, local authorities, civil protection actors and civil society organisations.

EU-RESPOND Awareness Training - Main Trainer Frédéric Harrault

Through structured discussions and practical exchanges facilitated by the Main Trainers Frédéric Harrault and Anne Baetens, the session aimed to:

Strengthen understanding of the UCPM framework and activation procedures
Clarify national roles, responsibilities and institutional mandates in case of international assistance
Present the 2024 EU Host Nation Support Guidelines
Enhance inter‑institutional coordination ahead of the October 2026 Tabletop Exercise

EU-RESPOND Awareness Training - Main Trainer Anne Baetens

Participating Institutions

We sincerely thank our Armenian counterparts and colleagues for their participation in the training. Representatives attended from:

Ministry of Internal Affairs - Rescue Service; 112 Operational Management Center; Disasters and Emergency Other Situations Management Department; Strategic Planning, Policy Development and Monitoring Department

Office of the Security Council - Department of Security Policy and Principal Documents; Department of Military Security

Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Department of European Integration; Department of International Security

EU-RESPOND Awareness Training - Participants

Ministry of Health - International Relations Department

Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures - Road Policy Department

Ministry of Environment - Hydrometeorology and Monitoring Center SNCO

Yerevan City Hall - Department of Mobilization Issues and Civil Defense

Committee for Urban Development - Construction and Scientific & Technical Standardization Department; Urban Development and Spatial Planning Department

Armenian Red Cross Society

National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction Foundation (ARNAP)

House of Hope Charitable Center Foundation

The Trainers, Core-team & Local partners

The Awareness Training was led by the Main Trainers Frédéric Harrault from Directorate-General for Civil Protection and Crisis Management (DGSCGC) and Anne Baetens from Directorate-General for Civil Protection (DGCP-IBZ) - Belgium.

Other core-team members and partners included :

TDS-Group: Christophe Debray, Célie Quénet
Resilience Solutions : Christian Resch
⁠Ministry of Internal Affairs Educational Complex: Armine Hayrapetyan, Emil Margaryan, Hayarpi Keshishyan

Next Steps

The initiative will continue with a Planning Meeting (27–31 July 2026), leading to the HNS Tabletop Exercise (4–9 October 2026).

Funded by the European Union, this project aims to reinforce international disaster assistance and response by strengthening Host Nation Support (HNS) capacities through the design, planning, and conduct of Tabletop exercises (TTX).