A year in the life of the Knowledge Network
Looking back at highlights in civil protection from 2024 (as covered by the Knowledge Network Platform).
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.
2024 started at pace, with the Republic of Moldova (hereafter ‘Moldova’) becoming a member of the UCPM on 1 January 2024. Moldova signed the agreement to join the UCPM on 29 September 2023, becoming the tenth Participating State to join. In our January newsletter, Alexandru Oprea, Head of the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (GIES), shared his insights on Moldova’s accession to the Mechanism, and lessons learnt following the large inflow of people fleeing from Ukraine.
The first ever Knowledge Network Activity Report set out achievements, results and lessons learnt by the EU and its partners under the three goals of the Network – community, shared knowledge for action, and research that matters.
The launch of the Knowledge Network took place in 2021, at a time of unprecedented international challenges, with weather-related disasters and conflict leading to a historically large number of activations of the UCPM.
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.’
The new Knowledge for Action in Prevention & Preparedness (or KAPP) call for proposals was launched in January. It aims to identify projects that contribute to strengthening cooperation among UCPM countries and between the UCPM and third parties in preventing natural and human-induced disasters, as well as enhancing institutional preparedness and individual capacity initiatives. The KAPP call merged three previously separate calls: “Prevention and preparedness,” “Knowledge network partnership,” and “Full-scale exercises”.
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.
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 mechanism which allows national civil protection and disaster risk management authorities to access technical assistance and global knowledge on prevention and preparedness to support country efforts on disaster risk management (DRM). Find out more here.
As the Civil Protection community gathered in Brussels ahead of the 8th Civil Protection Forum, Belgium’s national treasure, the Manneken Pis, was given a new look with an EU civil protection response uniform. The costume handover ceremony took place in Brussels’ Hôtel de Ville and was designed to draw attention to the importance of the European Civil Protection and its workers in responding to and managing disasters, while also safeguarding the wellbeing and safety of European citizens.
The Civil Protection Forum took place in Brussels on 4-5 June, in the innovative Tour & Taxis building. The forum took place near the end of the Commission's current mandate, marking a pivotal moment for the future of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM). Over two days, more than 1,500 individuals from over 70 countries engaged in discussions, exchange of knowledge and good practices, networking, and community building. This year's forum was organised under a significant and forward-looking theme: “Shaping a disaster-resilient Union: charting a path for the future of European civil protection”.
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 new Knowledge library was launched in June at the Civil protection Forum. In initial user needs’ assessments, the Library was by a big majority the most requested aspect of the KN Platform, with 83% of users saying that it was the element of the Knowledge Network Platform that they would most value.
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.
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.
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).
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.
A new Eurobarometer survey published in September showed that almost two-thirds of citizens (65%) believe they need more information to prepare for disasters and emergencies.
When asked what risks they think their countries are most exposed to, EU citizens express concerns about extreme weather events (such as storms, droughts, heat/cold waves) and floods, as well as cybersecurity and geopolitical instability threats. Many EU citizens say they still lack the basic tools or information to face potential disaster (for example, only 47% report having essential emergency items, such as flashlights or candles, readily available, this one still being the personal preparedness measures most adopted by Europeans).
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.
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.
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.
At the end of November, Commissioner Lenarcič’s mandate as Commissioner for Crisis Management came to an end. His leadership was marked by a large increase in the capacities that can be deployed through rescEU, and an expansion of the civil protection family to four new participating states, to name but a few.
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.
2024 comes to an end at an exciting time for the Civil Protection Community, with the Commission making progress on the first ever Preparedness Strategy, for publication in 2025. The Commissioner will hold her first Youth Policy Dialogue on civil protection with a group of young people in the new year.
An exciting programme of training and exercises will be run across Europe and a busy calendar of events to bring the community together is already taking shape.
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
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.