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A year in the life of the Knowledge Network

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Looking back at highlights in civil protection from 2024 (as covered by the Knowledge Network Platform).

By Knowledge Network – Staff member

2024 was once again an extremely challenging year for those in civil protection, with Europe facing frequent and intense weather-related disasters, and Russia’s war on Ukraine showing no signs of abating. The UCPM faced repeated requests for assistance from all over Europe and the world, and the community responded with its usual speed, dedication and compassion. 

We look back at some of the stories that were covered by the Knowledge Network Platform over the year. Some 40% of our content is provided by the community, and we hope that many of you will recognise events that you were involved in here too. Unfortunately, there was a great deal of other interesting news that we couldn’t cover, but you can find the highlights on the news feed of the platform or between the covers of our quarterly newsletters.  

In this challenging global context, knowledge sharing and developing a strong community of civil protection practitioners became more important than ever. In just three years, the Network has already demonstrated its value in this area. 

 

‘While the achievements of the Knowledge Network should certainly be acknowledged, we know that none of this could have been achieved without our partners. The Network was always intended to be a tool that was ‘by the community, for the community,’ and we are extremely grateful to our Network for their support throughout this process.’

This was closely followed by the launch of the call for proposals for the Technical Assistance for Disaster Risk management (or Track 1, as it’s commonly known), which finances projects that support Member States and Participating States’ efforts in the field of disaster preparedness and prevention. The results of the calls will be announced in early 2025. 

Launch of TAFF 

A new Technical Assistance Financing Facility (TAFF) was launched in February 2024, a partnership between the European Commission, the World Bank and the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR). The TAFF is a mechanismwhich allows national civil protection and disaster risk management authorities to access technical assistance and global knowledgeon prevention and preparedness to support country efforts on disaster risk management (DRM). Find out more here.

Two high-level plenary sessions set the scene for the event, celebrating our common achievements, and exploring challenges and opportunities that lay ahead. They were enriched with over 30 different breakout sessions, discussion panels and participatory workshops alike, outdoor demonstrations and networking activities. 

The Civil Protection Village (an exhibition space) was the beating heart of the entire event and a stage for the very first UCPM Foosball Championship, with 24 countries represented. Its winners were engraved in the common memory alongside the second cohort of the UCPM medal recipients

You can hear from some of the participants of the CIvil Protection Forum in these short interviews here.  

‘The Civil Protection Forum was once again a moment to reflect, network, engage in fascinating discussions, exchange knowledge and good practices. It was also – as I am sure many of those present recall – a moment to reconnect with old friends or to make new ones, spend quality time together and further strengthen the esprit du corps of the community. Thank you for being part of this experience."

The Library is designed to function as a central repository, where documents that are relevant and of added value to others in the field of civil protection can be uploaded and shared for stakeholders to download and access. Users can upload documents and enjoy shared resources at Knowledge Library | UCP Knowledge Network. 

Wildfire fire season

The 2024 Wildfire Season was once again an extremely challenging period for the Civil Protection community. The Copernicus European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) reported that the total burned area in the EU was about 10% above the recorded average in the years 2006-2023, while at the same time, approximately 60% more fires were recorded. During the summer and autumn of 2024, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism was activated 14 times for wildfires. More on the European response here

You can read interviews with four of the firefighters across Europe here

Bringing Science Closer to Practitioners 

Science is one of the three pillars of the Knowledge Network, and one of the goals of the KN Platform is to connect scientists and researchers with CP experts, providing a channel for sharing expertise and good practice. The Science Working Group has made big strides this year; meeting for the first time in-person in June, as well as defining a work plan to start focusing its work. The upcoming EU Preparedness Strategy and drafting of the next Horizon Europe calls in 2025 will be key moments going forward. In September, the third Evidence for Policy in DRM Summer School was held in Vienna, Austria, with over 80 scientific staff and operational personnel working their way around different masterclasses. Watch an engaging video of the three days here Summer School in Evidence for Policy in DRM 2024 | Vienna | UCP Knowledge Network. 

In Autumn 2024, the European Commission’s DG ECHO (Directorate General for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations) launched a new Knowledge Series, designed to connect practitioners from across the EU and beyond to drive innovation within the Union Civil Protection Mechanism. Topics covered so far include Nature Based Solutions, AI for Disaster Risk Management, and GRADE (Global Rapid post-Disaster Damage Estimation). 

New cycle of Training and Exercises launched 

After a long period of reflection with the cooperation of a variety of stakeholders, the UCPM Training programme was relaunched with a new look in September 2023. This year, a series of exercises were carried out across Europe; including a full scale exercise on earthquake response in November and this EU MODEX in on flood response in Austria.  

Only 9% of respondents were familiar with the response plan in their city, region or country for a disaster or emergency. At the same time, three quarters (75%) of Europeans agree that by preparing for disasters or emergencies, they will be able to better cope with the situation. For further details and country-specific results, visit Eurobarometer reports - European Commission. New EU Eurobarometer on disaster awareness and preparedness of EU citizens | UCP Knowledge Network. 

Capacity Building Week 

ECHO’s unit B3 launched its first Capacity Building Week in November, designed to raise awareness and understanding of the capacity building tools available in disaster risk management; both from the European Commission and its partners. A ‘Boosting Disaster Risk Financing workshop’ brought together representatives from Member and Participating States to deepen understanding of any bottlenecks, provide practical solutions, new opportunities, and priorities in financing DRM initiatives with an impact, drawing on concrete experience and good practices. 

Peer Review Cycle comes to a close 

On 14 November, key actors involved in the 2020-2024 Peer Reviews gathered for the UCPM Peer Review Programme Lessons Learnt meeting. The event marked the conclusion of the programme cycle, and peers from all over Europe shared their ideas on how to refine the methodology and refine the impact of future reviews. The new cycle of Peer Reviews will run from 2025-2027 and the call for expressions of interest has just been launched. Watch this great video of participants’ takeaways from the last cycle here

Lenarčič was succeeded by Belgian Hadja Lahbib, who became Commissioner for Preparedness, Crisis Management and Equality. One of Commissioner Lahbib’s first priorities will be to oversee the development and implementation of the EU Preparedness Strategy, and to lead on strengthening the Emergency Response Coordination Centre as Europe’s Crisis coordination hub. 

Meanwhile, the eagerly-awaited report ‘Safer Together: Strengthening Europe’s Civilian and Military Preparedness and Readiness’ was presented on October 30 in Brussels, by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and former Finnish President Sauli Niinistö. The 165-page report suggests steps to enhance Europe’s resilience. The report advocates for a future-ready Europe built on collaboration, adaptability, and proactive preparedness. 

We invite you to follow the latest news, lessons learnt and forthcoming events on the Knowledge Network Platform; and most of all, to share your own (on ECHO-CP-KNOWLEDGE-NETWORK-PLATFORM@ec.europa.eu

We would like to wish our community members seasons greetings and our very best wishes for 2025. 

The Knowledge Network Editorial Team 

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About the author

The Knowledge Network – Staff member

The Knowledge Network editorial team is here to share the news and stories of the Knowledge Network community. We'd love to hear your news, events and personal stories about your life in civil protection and disaster risk management. If you've got a story to share, please contact us.

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