With the support of the EU Delegation in Georgia, the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) handed over 40 different types of rescue and search special equipment to the Emergency Management Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The ceremony was attended by Head of the Emergency Management Service - Teimuraz Mghebrishvili, Acting Head of Cooperation Section of the EU Delegation in Georgia – Catalin Gherman, Country Manager of UNOPS Georgia – Claude-Andr Nadon, Director of International Relations Department - Ekaterine Machavariani and other representatives.
The head of the Emergency Situations Management Service - Teimuraz Mgebrishvili thanked the EU Delegation in Georgia for the assistance and noted that the provided special equipment and tools will significantly help firefighters in conducting rescue operations across the country.
EU Delegation in Georgia handed over 7 off-road "Pickup" vehicles, 3 all-terrain "Quadrocycles", 3 drones, 40 sets of skis and skiing equipment and 12 sets of search equipment to the Emergency Management Service. This assistance was provided by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) within the framework of the EU SAFE program.
From 2023, the EU Delegation in Georgia will provide additional support to the Emergency Management Service. The following activities are currently being planned: developing incident management systems and standard operating procedures and to facilitate the approximation of the rescue service with the EU Civil Security Mechanism. New training and professional education programs will further enhance the knowledge and skills of firefighters and assist in developing well-trained volunteer groups across the country.
Within the framework of the project "Support to advancing technical capacities for ensuring human security (SATCEHS)", the European Union is supporting the Emergency Management Service. The aforementioned project is implemented by UNOPS and is a part of the wider "EU4 Security, Accountability and Fight against Crime in Georgia (SAFE)" Programme, which aims to improve the efficiency and accountability of the security sector of Georgia. The project is implemented in close cooperation with the International Relations Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs since 2020.
