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Improving Emergency Response Capacities to Natural and Man-made Disasters in Small Communities across the Black Sea Basin Region (IMPACT+)

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BSB00001 IMPACT+

Improving Emergency Response Capacities to Natural and Man-made Disasters in Small Communities across the Black Sea Basin Region

Project consortium:

  • National Society of Red Cross Romania – Galati Branch (Lead partner)
  • Cross-border Cooperation and European Integration Agency (ACTIE) – Moldova
  • Union of Bulgarian Black Sea Local Authorities (UBBSLA) – Bulgaria
  • Imereti Scientists’ Union “Spectri” (SPECTRI) – Georgia

Funded: (Interreg VI-B) NEXT Black Sea Basin Programme; Programme priority Clean and Green Region; Specific objective RSO2.4: Promoting climate change adaptation and disaster risk prevention, resilience, taking into account eco-system based approaches

Project duration: 18 months (July 2024 – January 2026)

Total budget: 553.812,00 EUR

Some of the most pressing challenges faced by countries in the Black Sea Basin region include their susceptibility to natural disasters and vulnerability to the impacts of climate change. This is particularly true for small communities, which are disproportionately affected by climate change and lack sufficient prevention, acknowledgement, and training activities. These communities are often illequipped to cope with the consequences of disasters, and relevant state institutions experience longer response times due to their remote locations. In light of these challenges, the project aims to enhance disaster risk prevention, climate change adaptation, and emergency response capacities in small communities of the Black Sea Basin region, with a specific focus on rural areas.

The overall objective of the project is to reduce the impact of natural disasters on the residents of Black Sea Basin region and improve their resilience to climate change. Through the implementation of this project, we anticipate that small communities in the Black Sea Basin will have access to userfriendly tools that will help mitigate the impact of climate change on the most vulnerable populations. The expected outcome is the development of enhanced disaster risk prevention, climate change adaptation, and emergency response capacities in the targeted small communities.

The project will deliver several important outputs and results, with a significant emphasis on Institutional Capacity Building of small communities. One of the key outputs will be the development of a common methodology to improve preparedness for emergency situations in rural areas. This methodology will include a common emergency response plan and a user-friendly manual for adapting the plan to specific communities. Additionally, study visits and best practice exchange seminars will be organised to facilitate knowledge sharing and foster collaboration among stakeholders.

Another innovative solution developed within the project is the creation of an e-learning web platform that offers online courses in emergency situation preparedness and management. This platform will benefit communities across the four partner countries and serve as a centralised hub for accessing project materials, training resources, and informative documents. It will be designed to be userfriendly and accessible to the target communities and beyond. Furthermore, both offline and online trainings will be conducted for the local population, focusing on disaster preparedness and first aid. These trainings aim to empower community members to effectively respond to emergencies, thus increasing overall resilience and reducing vulnerabilities.