On the occasion of the International Day for Disaster Risk Management, the European Commission is convening the very first cross-regional dialogue 'From Space to Grassroots: Strengthening Community Resilience to Natural Hazards through Space Technologies'. The dialogue marked the start of a process to further strengthen international cooperation to anticipate, prepare for and respond to disasters using space technologies.
The dialogue identified opportunities for closer cooperation with partners worldwide, from improving early warning systems and sharing satellite data and expertise to strengthening national and local response capacities. The aim is to make better use of space technologies across all levels of action, to protect lives and livelihoods, particularly in vulnerable communities.
Space services support all phases of the disaster management cycle, from preparedness and prevention with forecasts and early warnings to mapping in support of emergency response and recovery assessments after the disasters. Satellite data also feeds into information systems to facilitate the work of competent authorities in Europe and worlwide.
The outcome of the discussions of Hadja Lahbib, Commissioner for Preparedness and Crisis Management, and Andrius Kubilius, Commissioner for Defence and Space resulted into a "Compass on Space and Disaster Risk Management". This document emphasizes the need to translate data into actionable information. As disasters expand, so should our capacity to anticipate and mitigate their impact, beyond borders and in partnership with local, national and international bodies.
Kamal Kishore, UN Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, and Thomas Byrne, the Irish Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence, also participated in this event, alongside representatives of disaster risk management organisations from Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and Africa.
Background
European space services stem from Copernicus , the EU Earth observation system, Galileo , the EU's Global Navigation Satellite System, GOVSATCOM and the upcoming IRIS ² , the EU system for secure satellite communications.
Furthermore, the EU has a variety of early warning and information systems and tools helping anticipate threats, detect emerging disasters and coordinate faster, more effective responses, ultimately helping to save lives disaster. Indicatively, these include the European Forest Fire Information System , the European Flood Awareness System , and the Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System .
