FOR THE PROTECTION OF LIFE, PEACE AND TRANQUILITY OF POPULATION

It is known, Day of Defenders of the Motherland is widely celebrated on January 14 in Uzbekistan. This day the country commemorates representatives of the noble profession who dedicated their lives to defend the homeland, protect peaceful life of our people.

The protection of the population and territories from emergency situations are an integral part of the overall national security system in Uzbekistan. In this regard, one of the key objectives is to create reliable and effective system from the yearly days of the sovereignty of the Republic that protects the citizens of Uzbekistan, the country from natural disasters, man-made accidents and disasters.

The scale and content work was done to achieve this goal. In particular, the adoption of laws “On civil protection”, “On protection of population and territories from emergency situations of natural and man-made”, “On rescue service and rescuer’s status” created necessary regulatory framework that can effectively regulate prevention and elimination of emergencies’ consequences as well as the rescue services.

The establishment of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Uzbekistan by the Decree of President Islam Karimov on March 4, 1996 was an important step in the sphere. Over the years, professional units were formed as its parts, which are provided with the modern rescue and other necessary equipments.

A fundamentally new state system of prevention and emergency response with its coordinating body, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, was created on the basis of accumulated many years of domestic and foreign experience, fully thought-out and comprehensive program that is different from the old, outdated attitudes and patterns of construction of civil defense.

Today the system, covering more than 40 different ministries, provides their coherence and close cooperation on preventing and combating the effects of natural disasters and catastrophes. The state program aimed at protecting the population and economic facilities from the village flood and landslide threats is implemented with their assistance. The necessary financial resources for the timely holding of bank priorities and protective measures throughout the country are allocated annually. Command-staff and special tactical exercises are regularly held, and actively attended by local residents.

Particular attention is paid to units’ equip rescue. Groups of regional departments of Emergency Situations (DES), Republican multi-center of rapid response, a special unit of rapid response and “Kamchik” search and rescue teams were equipped with modern rescue and other necessary equipment.

Widespread use of modern information and communication technologies, including the field of seismological observation and fire prevention, as well as the latest rescue equipment, special vehicles and technology ensure high reliability of monitoring and forecasting of emergency situations, efficiency in planning and carrying out rescue operations. The practice of sending SMS-messages to subscribers of mobile operators in the period of activation of meteorological and geological phenomena was established.

A huge work has been done in improving the system of training highly skilled professionals able to think quickly and make unconventional decisions over the years, and in the training of the population in case of emergencies. Today, the Institute of Civil Protection is a part of Ministry of Emergency Situations, which annually trains more than 1,5 thousand audience from ministries and departments, local authorities and businesses. Specialists of the Ministry by conducting interviews, advocacy, showing educational films, distribution of leaflets and engaging in practical training sessions annually train more than 30,000 people, the representatives of the civil protection facilities of the economy, heads of education institutes.

The cooperation with foreign centers for protection and prevention of natural disasters and catastrophes is successfully developing. In particular, constructive cooperation with the relevant agencies of Latvia, the Republic of Korea, Russia, the United States, Japan and other countries was established. Fruitful exchange of best practices in preventing threats of emergencies in the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction is implemented. Our country is also a member of the Central Asia Centre for Disaster Response and Risk Reduction.

Thus, Uzbekistan conducts a large scale and content of work, which plays an important role in protecting the life of our country’s citizens, their labor peace and tranquility.

Our reference: The International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) was adopted in 1999 by the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations as a global framework for action to ensure the stability of all societies to the effects of natural hazards and related technological and environmental disasters in order to reduce human, economic and social losses.

Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC) was established in 1998 and unites 27 countries of Asia. The main goal of the organization is to enhance the capacity of member states in the aftermath of natural disasters, build a secure society, and create opportunities for sustainable development. Over the years the member states held a number of international forums on prevention and disaster risk reduction.

Jahon Information Agency