Background and general requirements
On behalf of the Chinese government, Vice Premier Liu Guozhong officially announced the 14 cooperation initiatives at the opening ceremony of the 2023 Belt and Road Ministerial Forum for International Cooperation in Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergency Management (BRIDRREM) held on November 16.
The 14 cooperation initiatives, with many countries involved and a wide coverage, focus on four major areas such as upgrade of emergency skills, practical rescue operations, propaganda of popular emergency sciences, and exchanges and mutual learning.
These initiatives are comprehensive, practical, policy-oriented, open, and highly coordinated. The initiatives integrate with key work and activities of the Ministry of Emergency Management of China under regional cooperation mechanisms such as China-ASEAN, China-East Asia, China-Pacific Island countries, China-CELAC, BRICS, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
The initiatives focus on implementing multilateral and bilateral cooperation documents signed by the Ministry of Emergency Management, building BRIDRREM as the main platform and further improving operations of the Framework, expecting a number of cooperation outcomes to produce that can promote development, relieve people's concerns, and all countries involved unite together. BRIDRREM is expected to expand Influence of China and continue to strengthen China's international influence and discourse power in the field of disaster risk reduction and emergency management.
Main contents - Category of upgrade of emergency skills
1. Belt and Road 1000-Person Training Program in Emergency Management
In the fields of disaster risk reduction and relief, work safety and emergency rescue, China has trained 1,000 persons each year for BRIDRREM members and regional partners for two consecutive years. The program involves training on business knowledge and skills, strengthening mutual learning and experience sharing, improving emergency management capacity of countries involved, and building a China-aided training curriculum system for emergency management.
2. Belt and Road Capacity Building Program for Workplace Safety Risk Prevention and Control
Carry out training for professional knowledge and skills for work safety management departments and rescuers of BRIDRREM member countries, promote China's methodology for classified safety risk management and standardized system, and enhance safe production risk management and control level of BRIDRREM member countries. Promote and implement China-Central Asia Emergency Management Cooperation Mechanism as a contributor to the outcomes of the China-Central Asia Ministerial Meeting on Emergency Management.
3. Belt and Road Capacity Building Program for Mine Safety Management
Provide BRIDRREM member countries with training, especially those of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) for mine safety supervisors and representatives of mining enterprises, improve their mine safety supervision capacity and the level of mine safety management of enterprises, and to promote China's mine safety management methods, advanced technologies and equipment.
Main contents - Category of practical rescue operations
4. Belt and Road Emergency Rescue Exercise
Hold regular emergency rescue exercises to improve capacity of BRIDRREM member countries responding to major and catastrophic disasters, serve annual key activities in foreign affairs, and focus on different disaster themes in different regions to comprehensively test and improve the effectiveness of emergency rescue teams from China and member states in using the international humanitarian relief coordination network and resources to carry out rescue operations.
5. Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism for wildfires with Neighboring Countries
In accordance with the requirements of "signing agreements, building mechanisms, opening roads, and breaking new grounds," joint prevention and control cooperation on forest & grassland fires in neighboring countries. Establish a joint prevention and control cooperation mechanism with neighboring countries to deepen the hard and soft connectivity of joint fire prevention, and effectively prevent fires coming from neighboring countries. In addition of introducing China’s achievements, practical experience, advanced equipment and technology for forest and grassland fire prevention, improve capabilities of China and neighboring countries in terms of forest & grassland fire monitoring, early warning and coordination.
6. Rescue Assistance Program for Flood and Earthquake with Neighboring Countries
Deepen practical cooperation with neighboring countries on emergency rescue in major and catastrophic disasters such as floods and earthquakes, improve emergency response system and mechanism for domestic emergency rescue teams to participate in rescue operations in neighboring countries, and enhance ability of rapid response and orderly rescue. When a major or catastrophic disaster occurs in neighboring countries and a request for rescue is made to China, China will send rescue forces or provide necessary technical support at the first time. In 2024, China will focus on basic work of mechanism building, establish rescue operation plans for domestic rescue forces to participate in rescues when major and catastrophic disasters occur in neighboring countries, and improve the coordination system and mechanism between the Ministry of Emergency Management and provinces.
7. Belt and Road Publications on Disaster Risk Reduction for Youth
Compile and present children’s and adolescents’ reading books on Belt and Road disaster risk reduction to relevant countries, strengthen education on disaster risk reduction for children and adolescents among BRIDRREM member countries, and help improve their awareness of disaster risk reduction and their ability to save themselves and each other.
8. Belt and Road Alliance for Earthquake Scientific Expedition
Promote to establish the Belt and Road Earthquake Scientific Expedition Alliance, deepen international cooperation on earthquake disaster reduction, and reduce risks of earthquake disasters in relevant regions. In the wake of a major earthquake in BRIDRREM member countries, China promptly launch scientific expeditions to provide scientific advice and technical support for the recovery and reconstruction of the affected countries. Promote China's experience in earthquake scientific investigation and disaster reduction, expand China’s international influence in the field of disaster risk reduction.
9. China International Emergency Management Exhibition
Built an emergency management equipment technology and cooperation platform for BRIDRREM member countries to offer services of policy guidance, technology exchange, orientation of actual application, and meeting of suppliers and customers. Show China's achievements of innovation and development on emergency management equipment and technology, promote application of advanced and applicable equipment, and help improve national emergency management capacity of BRIDRREM member countries. Invite more exhibitors to participate in the exhibition with improved quality, upgrade scientific and technological content of technology and equipment displayed, build the brand of China International Emergency Management Exhibition, and push China's emergency management standards and emergency technology and equipment to go out. It’s an annual exhibition.
10. International Forum on Emergency Medical Rescue & Equipment and Technology Expo
Focus on medical and psychological assistance to the injured and sick in disaster accidents and rescue teams, build a cooperation platform for technical exchange, equipment display and meeting of customers and supplier in the field of emergency medicine, publicize China's development achievements, get to know latest developments of foreign countries, help BRIDRREM member countries improve emergency medicine capabilities, deepen the growth of related industries, and lay a technical foundation for cross-border emergency medical rescue cooperation. It’s an biennial exhibition.
11. Belt and Road Youth Exchange Program in Emergency Management
Build an international youth exchange and cooperation platform for emergency management and promote talent exchange and information sharing. Implement bilateral cooperation documents signed by mechanisms such as China-ASEAN and China-Central Asia to strengthen training of young talents in the field of emergency management, promote exchange of practical experience among emergency-related young people from different countries with different cultural backgrounds, and provide support of backup talents for further development of the emergency management industry.
12. Belt and Road Exchange Program for Fire and Rescue Professionals
Strengthen training of high-level national and regional fire rescue talents in BRIDRREM member countries, promote international cooperation on fire rescue higher education to achieve high-quality development of international education of China Fire Rescue College. Strengthen integration of industry, university and research in the field of fire rescue among BRIDRREM member countries to help improve their technical level of fire rescue. Introduce China's experience of cultivating fire rescue talent to spread the fire culture of China.
13. ASEAN-China Exchange Program in Emergency Management between Sister Cities
Implement China-ASEAN Disaster Management Work Plan (2021-2025), improve the level of comprehensive urban disaster management in China and ASEAN countries and enrich China-Asean disaster management cooperation by taking full geographical advantages of Guangxi's, strengthening resources integration and starting from practical cooperation projects.
14. Disaster Risk Reduction Partnership among China, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan
