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26 March 2008
# 08-085
Mongolia
focuses on emergency response
Working to improve emergency response
and risk reduction was the topic of a workshop held March 10-14 in
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The Mongolian participants, all key leaders
in the energy sector, focused their discussions on how The Mongolian
government coordinates and synchronizes appropriate steps to build
national disaster resiliency while reducing risk. Also, in the event
of disaster how it would manage relief and humanitarian-assistance
efforts conducted by the whole of government, international
organizations and registered non governmental organizations.
The workshop centered on two key components of crisis management:
response and prevention. The discussions on response considered: (1)
managing Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Response (HA/DR)
requirements; (2) understanding the various dimensions of the
disaster; (3) coordinating and supervising internal government and
non-government response efforts; and (4) managing the interface with
external organizations. The participants derived over twenty
specific recommendations for immediate action from their discussions
of preventative options.
Thirty-seven participants attended the workshop including
representatives from eight ministries and seven other agencies of
government, representatives from the National University of
Mongolia, and observers from USAID, World Bank, Asia Foundation and
other key development agencies and non-governmental organization.
Deputy Prime Minister Miyegombo Enkhbold and Ambassador Mark C.
Minton provided opening remarks for the workshop. Their remarks were
followed by framing comments from APCSS Deputy Dean Dave Shanahan
and the new NEMA High Commissioner Tsvegmid Amgalanbayer.
Presenters included: Jim Petroni, who offered “International Best
Practices”; John Livengood of the Pacific Disaster Center who
presented information on Vulnerability and Assessment Visualization,
and George Mayberry from the Alaska Dept of Homeland Security and
Emergency Management who compared the costs of mitigation efforts
built into the Alaska pipeline with the payoff benefits seen during
a recent earthquake that devastated the adjoining road network but
left the pipeline intact.
Following the presentations and a day of scenario-driven exploration
of the current state of Mongolian preparedness, the heart of the
workshop was the 3rd and 4th day subgroup discussions led by APCSS
Professors Herman Finley and Col. Charlie King. These discussions
identified the most important actions needed to respond to a crisis
were it to occur, and more importantly to better prevent such a
crisis from happening in the first place. Professor Finley
commented: “the depth of these discussions represented an almost
unprecedented willingness to share information across agencies
within the Mongolian government—a real step forward.”
The workshop closed with presentation of results and recommendations
to the Minister of Fuels and Energy and the Deputy State Secretary
for the Cabinet. The Deputy Prime Minister will receive the results
of the workshop through his Advisor for Emergency Matters who
attended elements of the workshop.
According to Shanahan, “the output was unprecedented in its candor
and might actually be catalyst of needed change depending on the
flow of the political situation over the coming months.”
In addition, “many commented that our workshop was a unique
opportunity for mid-senior officials involved in the Energy and
Disaster fields as well as other ministries to come together in
common cause,” said Shanahan.
The five-day workshop was sponsored by government of Mongolia and
the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies with assistance from
the U.S. Embassy in Mongolia, the Pacific Disaster Center and the
Institute for Strategic Studies.
-end-
The
APCSS addresses regional and global security issues, inviting military and
civilian representatives of the United States and 45 Asia-Pacific nations to
its comprehensive program of courses and conferences, both in Hawaii and
throughout the Asia-Pacific region. The Center supports the U.S. Pacific
Command’s objective of developing professional and personal ties among
national security establishments throughout the region. APCSS focuses on
a multilateral and multi-dimensional approach to defining and addressing
regional security issues and concerns. The most beneficial result is
building relationships of trust and confidence among future leaders and
decision-makers within the region.
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