International Organizations

1- Arab Office for Civil Protection and Rescue:

History and definition:

The idea of the Office was originated in the Kingdom of Morocco in 1982; the resolution of establishment was made in Tunis 1984 assigning Casablanca city as headquarters.

The Office aims to:

• Develop cooperation between Member States in civil defense and civil protection fields.
• Support the Civil Defense and Civil Protection in the Member States.
• Provide technical assistance, material, and human resources for the Member States to prevent disasters; and if they occur, to contribute to the removal and mitigation.

2- Civil protection program in the European Group:

Definition:

All programs activities of the group to fight disasters come under the "European Citizenship Perspective".  Such programs aim at making the European citizens feel safe; and activate their passions and conceptions towards the achievement of some collective agreed up-on efforts. The program included:

• Natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, fires, ties and the like.
• Human-activity-caused disasters such as the chemical and industrial accidents.

3- International Civil Protection Organization (ICPO):

History and definition:

Mr. Georges San Paul, a French physician, created the Organization first in Paris in 1931 and named it the "Leeward & Geneva Society". In 1958, the Society has been changed to an international civil protection organization; and organized the third international conference for civil protection in Geneva where 130 members from different 23 states, three of whom were representatives of the first three governments (Egypt, Iran and the Philippines) to join the organization attended. The Organization kept convening meetings; and a lot of significant resolutions and recommendations have been issued so far.

 
Below is a list of some of the topics discussed at the ICPO conferences:

1. Natural dangers and risks.
2. Earthquake, deliberations and operations.
3. Co-operation between organizations to fight disasters.
4. A plan to mitigate losses of disasters.
5. A plan to manage operations of combat.
6. Coordination between institutions to provide protection and assistance in disaster times.
7. Civil protection policy in developing countries.
8. Civil protection in the atomic age – hidings.
9. Public Relations at disaster times.
10. The importance of preparing college students on civil protection fields.
11. Application of contingency plans inside airports.
12. Management of disaster combat operations in airports.
13. Relief voluntary services.
14. Air medical evacuation.
15. International aid and coordination of rescue operations at disaster times.
16. A study searching dividing regions into small sites and how it can be applied for protection at disaster times.
17. Civil protection services: firefighting bodies.
18. Meteorological services supporting to civil protection.
19. General considerations about volunteering in civil protection.
20. Support between municipalities in civil protection.

4- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA):

History and definition:

The Agency was established in Washington on 1 April 1979. It is the central communication link with the Federal Government to manage emergencies at large scale at war and peacetimes. It works as an independent body at emergency with the National Security Council, the Cabinet and the White House employees. The agency performs many tasks some of which are:

1. Coordinate to support combat disasters declared federally.
2. Take strategic and important decisions concerning planning policy of civil defense substitution supply.
3. Coordinate to confront sudden civilian radiation accident resulting from nuclear power plants and hazardous material at peacetimes. 
4. Reduce losses of fire incidents.
5. Manage insurance efforts exerted by the national program to mitigate floods risks.
6. Manage the national program to mitigate risks of earthquake. 
7. Develop the general program of awareness.
8. Reduce natural dangers.

5- United Nations Development Program (UNDP):

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP), sent a delegate to Saudi Arabia in 1987 by request from the General Directorate of Civil Defense (GDCD), to specify technical fields where activities could be co-operated between Saudi Arabia and the UNDP.

Three fields were selected then, as under:

• Aid activities.
• Training civil defense cadres.
• Development of volunteering system.

Saudi Arabia with assistance by the UNDP commenced the implementation of a two-phase project No. 017/98 SAU "Support of Civil Defense" in 1989. The project was designed in two phases as follows:

First phase:

A sex-month preparatory phase where detailed requirements have been determined; thus, some activities were started following enacting the terms of the Project at the basic phase.

Second phase:

Sending consultants: the first UNDP advisory mission arrived to Saudi Arabia during 7 November 1989 – January 1990. The consultant was tasked to study the hierarchy and activities of the Emergency Department. A successive labor consultant arrived during 7 August - 28 September 1991. He introduced the following studies:

1. Proposal: a memo explaining civil defense code.
2. Proposal: immediate aid procedures manual.
3. Proposal: arranging training programs for aid activities.
4. Proposal: project, regulations for immediate aid activities at war and emergency.

6- United Nations Office at Geneva (OCHA):

The UN Office of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) monitors and evaluates situations of countries with potential risks of war and natural disaster through the "Early Warning and Contingency Planning Unit" at New York. The Unit performs the following:

• Finds out which countries subjected to dangers.
• Monitors events.
• Prevents or mitigates conflicts.
• Arranges and hands over tasks.

1. The "Response Coordination Branch" is the main OCHA centre that gathers and coordinates international response at times of disaster. The center works in coordination with the "Emergency Services Branch'' and the "Emergency Humanitarian Branch.''  The center works 24-hours at emergency.
2. Governments and authorities encountering natural disasters or environmental emergencies could contact the OCHA. In critical times, the Coordination Emergency Relief, the Inter-Agency Standing Committee and the country affected, shall evaluate the situation and call on the international community for help.
3. The OCHA makes urgent calls-for- help as early when a disaster occurs.
4. Delegations from different UN agencies visit the affected sites for evaluation to insure a UN co-ordinate plans for response under supervision and participation of the countries affected as follows:

• Sending qualified, trained and ever-ready UN teams to prepare an urgent evaluation report on the disaster. 
• Helping specify technical requirements and materials to transport aids in accordance with procedures fixed between the governments and humanitarian organizations.
• Helping erect Operations Coordination Center at the affected location and a 24-hour-scientific-communication facility.
• Providing special environmental assistance for countries affected by chemical, industrial, technological and oil contamination disasters. The International Emergency Section, a link between the UNDP and the OCHA, provides the unified UN aid for emergent environmental disasters.
• Keeping stocks and aid supplies so that the OCHA could transport such stuffs to affected areas as soon as possible.

7- Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW):

The Organization has been set to prohibit and curb mass destruction chemical weapons. It is responsible for the monitoring of such weapons and controlling production and use.

Below is a list of a few tasks of said organization:

• Prevent invention and production, possession, storage or transport of chemical weapons directly or otherwise.
• Prohibit the use of such weapons and destroy when they are available.
• Prohibit all ways of assistance regarding banned activities in relation to such weapons.

Saudi Arabia has signed the treaty for the prohibition of chemical weapons. Thus, the Cabinet Resolution No. (40), dated 3.3.1418H., ordered the formation of the National Corporation for the Implementation of the Treaty (NCIT). Formed in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of all relevant bodies, including the Interior Ministry, the (NCIT) is a national center that links Saudi Arabia with the OPCW.