UN Iran holds an Earthquake Preparedness Exercise to support national efforts

The UN Resident Coordinator’s Office and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) led on organizing the event.

Gathering representatives from the Iranian preparedness and response sectors as well as the UN disaster management team, this event aimed to reinforce the crafted comprehensive national and international response to a major earthquake in Iran. Seeking to familiarize the UN system and its partners with the possible effects of a significant earthquake, the exercise also focused on global earthquake response practices and the concept of international urban search and rescue (USAR). The meeting also discussed the required steps to coordinate the integration of international relief with domestic efforts in times of disaster.

Over the years, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has repeatedly responded to unfortunate natural disasters. The efficient response to Bam earthquake contains many best practices. A key message by the UN at the exercise was that the UN system stands ready to support national efforts in preparedness and response to disasters that may occur.

In his opening remarks, UN Resident Coordinator in Iran underlined the potential of engagement on mutual grounds. “Iran has substantial capacities to respond to natural disasters” said Stefan Priesner.

A similar message of cooperation was also reiterated by the head of Iran’s NDMO, Dr. Mohammad Hassan Nami. “It is true that the people of the world should support one another during times of crisis,” he said, adding that “these multilateral gatherings can build the infrastructure for such collaboration; through mutual understanding and dialogue on capacities.”

Dr. Ali Mojtahed Shabestari, Head of UNOCHA in Tehran, expressed gratitude to the NDMO and other stakeholders. He also elaborated on previous engagements with the Government, emphasizing the need to continue such discussions.

Aside from the main organizers, participants included representatives from the UN country team, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS), Tehran Disaster Mitigation and Management Organization (TDMMO), and Natural Disasters Research Institute (NDRI). The high-level session was facilitated by two international experts, Mr. Arjun Katoch and Ms. Sarah El -Khazin Bouvier.

Given the importance of the issue, Mr. Carlos Gaha, Head of the OCHA Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa, along with Mr. Sherif Arafa, Humanitarian Affairs Officer also attended the meeting.

The event strengthened the mutual understanding between the participants. It helped to create specific working arrangements for the future, as well as establish a formal communication channel to effectively cooperate in the fields of disaster management, emergency preparedness, and response in Iran.