More than 120 participants meet at a civil protection coordination meeting 

More than 120 representatives from municipalities, state institutions, NGOs, religious organizations, and the private sector from across Latvia took part on June 18 in the workshop “Safety Starts with You!” at the Ministry of the Interior, to learn good practice examples and align actions in crisis situations. 

“We are surprised by such great interest from municipalities, new NGOs joining the circle of civil protection stakeholders, and other partners. Perhaps we have all clearly realized how valuable each person is for the security of our country and that we need to be able to involve everyone. Only coordinated action will save lives, if it becomes necessary.” 

said Inese Vaivare, Director of the Latvian Platform for Development Cooperation (LAPAS), at the opening of the event. 

The workshop covered topics such as NGO involvement in civil protection commissions, organizing evacuation processes, coordinating volunteers in crisis situations, public information, and providing psychological support. Special attention was given to existing examples of good practice in cooperation between municipalities and residents in Kuldīga, Jēkabpils, Krāslava, Alūksne municipalities, as well as the cities of Jelgava and Riga. 

The event also symbolically marked the launch of a training cycle on volunteer resource coordination for municipal and NGO representatives, organized by LAPAS and the State Fire and Rescue Service in August and September. More than 200 people from across Latvia have already registered. 

“Non-governmental organizations are ready to be an active partner in strengthening Latvia’s security and resilience. We are close to people and people trust us; at the same time, we are able to ensure the flow of reliable information and involve residents in coordinated action. These skills must be strengthened already today, in peaceful conditions, by jointly testing cooperation mechanisms.” 

said Kristīne Zonberga, Director of the Civic Alliance–Latvia. 

The workshop is organized by LAPAS in cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior and the Civic Alliance–Latvia. 

The LAPAS project “Safety Starts with You!” is financially supported by the Society Integration Foundation from the Latvian state budget funds. 

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