The Ministry of Internal Affairs held a workshop on "Enhancing resilience through public awareness, preparedness and capacity building " on December 11 in Shirak Regional Administration as part of public awareness events for "Disaster Resilience Day".

The purpose of the workshop was to promote cooperation between state and local government bodies aimed at strengthening population protection mechanisms during disasters, disaster risk management planning, improving public awareness and crisis communication procedures, as well as increasing resilience.

The workshop was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the staff of Shirak Regional Administration, general and higher education institutions, medical centers, as well as heads of the regional communities and emergency response officials.

The Spokesperson of the Minister of Internal Affairs, Head of the Public Communication and Awareness Department of MIA Narek Sargsyan, while addressing the need to form a resilient society, emphasized not only the preparedness of the population, but also capacities building and coordinated activity at the community level. In this context, he emphasized the importance of public awareness and the promotion of disaster preparedness, which will help form a society capable, informed and resilient to overcome the challenges of disasters.

The Deputy Governor of Shirak Albert Ayvazyan, expressing his gratitude to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, noted that organizing such events was always relevant, especially in an earthquake-prone zone as Shirak.

The Director of “Seismic Protection Territorial Service" SNCO under the Ministry of Internal Affairs Sos Margaryan, addressed the characteristics of seismic hazard, emphasizing that the entire territory of Armenia is located within a seismic risk zone. Therefore, measures aimed at reducing seismic hazards and their systematic implementation must be a continuous process. He presented the seismic hazard maps of the Republic of Armenia for recent years, as well as the efforts aimed at strengthening the resilience of communities and the state.

The Acting Head of the Population Affairs Department, Suzanna Kakoyan, presented the programs implemented by the service, which aim to improve preparedness for population in earthquakes.

The Head of the Emergency Planning Division of the Population Protection and Disaster Risk Reduction Department of the Rescue Service, Hovhannes Hovhannisyan, addressing the natural and man-made hazards threatening Armenia, emphasized the importance of developing a disaster risk management system at the community level, including mapping, rapid response to emergencies and increasing public preparedness.

The Head of the Information Provision and Statistics Division of the Crisis Management National Center of the Rescue Service, Lianna Abrahamyan, addressing the development of early warning and awareness systems, noted that good preparedness and awareness in advance can offer preventive measures during crisis situations. She emphasized that the management of operational information should ensure that the necessary information was delivered quickly and accurately to the public and responsible authorities. 

Summarizing the results of the workshop, Narek Sargsyan stated that disaster prevention and the elimination of results are most effective when every member of society understands their responsibility. He emphasized the importance of collaborative work at the local, community and national levels, which will contribute to the vision of having a more prepared, resilient and safe country.

An active discussion took place during the workshop.