Press Release (97)111 19 Sept. 1997

Civil aspects of Crisis Management - International cooperation and good neighbourly relations From the 29th September until 2nd October 1997, the Seminar on Civil Aspects of Crisis Management - International Cooperation and Good Neighbourly Relations will be held in Stockholm. The Seminar will be hosted by the Swedish Agency for Civil Emergency Planning (CB), as part of the 1997 Partnership Work Programme. The Seminar will be supported by the Civil Emergency Planning Directorate of NATO Headquarters. Senior officials - civil and military - involved in civil emergency planning from NATO and PFP countries will participate in the Seminar. The Seminar will be co-chaired by Mr. Sture Ericson, Director General of the CB and Dr. Francesco Palmeri, Director Civil Emergency Planning, NATO Headquarters. The Seminar will be divided into four main sessions: Conceptual Framework for Crisis Management. NATO- and Partner nations and international organizations present their views on Crisis Management, with particular attention to civil aspects; International Non-Military Challenges. The emergence of new, non-military threats are likely to exert an increasing influence on the international security environment in the future. A broad spectrum of threats will be discussed, including environmental risks, ethnic conflicts, large-scale refugee movements, terrorism and drug traffic. International Cooperation and Good Neighbourly Relations. This session will address different aspects of multilateral and inter-organizational cooperation and coordination. Experiences from international organizations, such as the UN, OSCE, NATO, the EU and the WEU, will be discussed. The Way Ahead. This Session will draw together conclusions from the previous sessions and discussions to consider their possible significance for future international cooperation in the field of Crisis Management. The session will also examine the role of regional and bilateral arrangements in serving various functions of coordinated Crisis Management. For further information please contact Mr. O. Jonsson, The National Board of Civil Emergency Preparedness, Sweden, (Int'l+) 46 8 691.1316 or Mr. R. Roepke, NATO Civil Emergency Planning Directorate, (Int'l +) 32 2 707.4137.