PM opens international civil defence meeting

The 23rd session of the General Assembly of the International Civil Defence Organisation (ICDO) was opened by HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani yesterday in Doha.A number of senior officials representing nearly 35 odd countries attended the proceedings. The sessions featured a series of discussions related to the developments in the areas of the civil defence, internal laws and future plans to contribute to joint international initiatives in the fields of civil protection of lives and properties.At the meeting, ICDO Secretary-General Dr Vladimir Kuvshinov lauded Qatar’s effective role in their forum which he said contributed to accomplishing several achievements.While expressing faith in Qatar’s role, the top ICDO official said the organisation is depending on deep co-operation with this country. The ICDO, he said, will continue to move towards achieving joint goals in the field of protection of people and countries, especially during natural disasters.Dr Kuvshinov said Qatar is spreading the message of peace and safety and the ICDO is counting on the session in Doha as ‘historic’ as the country has done all it could for its successful organising.President of the General Assembly and Ivory Coast’s National Civil Defence head General Fiacre Kili highlighted the efforts of Qatar and the ICDO in making the Doha meeting into a hugely successful event.Later General Kili was elected for a second term as President of the General Assembly, whereas Yan Yabo from Cameroon was elected as Vice President.On his re-election General Kili vowed to promote the role of the ICDO around the world and develop its affiliates. He also called on the member states to remain active in order to achieve the aspirations and face challenges.Dr Kuvshinov presented a detailed report on the members and mentioned the tasks carried out in his previous term, especially the organisation’s access as an observer of the United Nations and the signing of 125 MoUs to support internal works and 50 different documents to support its activities.The report also revealed that six new members joined the organisation, including four observer states. He also mentioned its future plans in promoting international co-operation in the civil defence field.At the session, Kuwait’s Director General of the General Fire Directorate General Khaled Rakan al-Mekrad said the event was a favourable opportunity for creating a sense of international responsibility towards the world population. “It will also serve as a confirmation of the member states’ will to elevate international co-operation and set strong foundations to build a safe world against crises and disasters,” he said.The official reminded the gathering that Kuwait has worked on several joint projects at different levels to make the organisation a vibrant forum.The Kuwaiti official stressed that one of the accomplished tasks was the translation of the organisation’s website to Arabic in addition to his country’s contribution in supporting a number of firefighting and civil protection areas at the the international level through firefighting equipment supplied by Kuwait.The official also reminded that Kuwait’s Retired Brigadier Youssef al-Ansari is a special envoy of the ICDO secretary-general to the Gulf Co-operation Council.