RiskPACC attended the Workshop “The involvement and role of citizens in crisis management” during the Security, Democracy and Cities Conference held in Nice in October 2021.

The Covid pandemic, the floods in Alemannic Europe, the fires in the Mediterranean are the events of the past few months that have once again shed light on the central role that local authorities play in disaster response. Whatever the severity or nature of these major crises (health, climate, but also terrorism, chemical accidents, etc.), local authorities must plan their prevention and respond to them by employing locally available resources. To guarantee the ultimate efficiency of such measures, it is essential that citizens are included in emergency planning and crisis management.

The Workshop had the role to provide solutions and opinions to delicate issues, such as the coordination between citizens and civil protection stakeholders, how authorities and public services can ensure the legitimacy, the creation, and the recognition of citizen-led initiatives or actions and how the collaboration between stakeholders can improve different forms of crisis management.

The Workshop had the participation of:
Torsten Akmann, State Secretary of the Interior at the Berlin Senate Department of the Interior and Sports, City-State of Berlin (Germany)
Giacomo Bianchi, Project Officer at European Security Organisation (Belgium)
Gilles Mahieu, Governor of Walloon Brabant, Province of Walloon Brabant (Belgium)
Gil Marsalla, Founder of Weekends solidaires, Nice (France)
Yves Van de Vloet, Associated Expert at Efus

THE SECURITY, DEMOCRACY AND CITIES CONFERENCE

The 2021 edition of the conference was held in the City of Nice, which is also Vice-President of Efus. The previous conferences were held in Barcelona-Catalonia (2017), Aubervilliers-Saint Denis (2012), Saragossa (2006), Naples (2000), Paris (1991) and Montreal (1989).

With 700 participants, 140 cities and regions represented, 27 countries and 4 continents (Europe, America, Africa and Asia), more than 100 speakers including elected officials, academics, representatives of institutions, civil society, private sector, 18 thematic workshops, 12 focus sessions, 10 field visits and 3 plenary sessions, the Conference acts as an international and crucial focal point for the sector.

The Manifesto The Manifesto – European Forum for Urban Security (efus.eu)

The Conference Declaration Security, Democracy and Cities Declaration – European Forum for Urban Security (efus.eu)