Press Release (96)120 11 September 1996

1996 Civil Protection Committee Seminar with Cooperation Partners in L'viv, Ukraine on 18th and 19th September 1996 On 18th and 19th September 1996, the NATO Civil Protection Committee (CPC) will conduct, in the context of the Partnership for Peace programme, a seminar on international disaster relief cooperation. The seminar will be held in L'viv at the invitation of the Civil Defence Department of Ukraine and has been organized in close cooperation with the NATO Civil Emergency Planning Directorate. This is the first time a Civil Emergency Planning Committee meets in a partner country. The seminar will address various aspects of international cooperation in assessing damage and rendering assistance in the immediate aftermath of a catastrophe. The seminar will be opened by Mr. Valeriy Kalchenko, Minister for Civil Emergency Planning of Ukraine and will receive its keynote address from NATO's Assistant Secretary General for Infrastructure, Logistics and Civil Emergency Planning, Mr. Herpert van Foreest. An estimated 90 participants from 19 Cooperation Partner nations and 12 NATO nations are expected to attend. Immediately following the seminar, the Civil Protection Committee, which is the focal point within the Alliance for all NATO and Partner countries regarding pre-disaster planning and post-disaster analysis, will conduct a meeting with Cooperation Partners to discuss arrangements for, and exchange of information on the protection of the population, including civil-military cooperation for humanitarian assistance. Preceding the seminar and CPC meeting on 15th and 16th September, there will be a series of training and exercise events organised by Ukraine with the participation of civil and military units from Hungary, Poland, Slovak Republic and the National Guard of California sponsored by the United States.These events, codenamed "Transcarpathian Safety'96", will focus on regional cooperation in disaster relief. For further information, please contact Mr. M. A. Verhaar, NATO Civil Emergency Planning Directorate (Int''l +) 32 2 707 4771.