The Civil Defence Force of the Ministry of Interior announces that the process by which it managed to obtain the INSARAG External Classification certification from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) was completed yesterday.
The certification concerns the operational readiness of the Civil Defence to be able to respond, on behalf of the Republic of Cyprus, to humanitarian aid missions, where search and rescue is required, on the basis of international standards.
The training and the certification process, which lasted four years, was completed yesterday with a final exercise in Larnaca. Assessors on behalf of the OCHA INSARAG organisation monitored the Civil Defence Rescue Team's response to a series of complex scenarios and evaluated its high level of knowledge and operational readiness on the basis of the UN OCHA Guidelines, known as INSARAG GUIDELINES.
At the end of this process, the certification of the competence and professionalism of the Republic of Cyprus, which through the Civil Defence, can respond to search and rescue incidents after natural disasters, both in Cyprus and abroad, was completed.
This certification, which is also recognised at European Union level, is proof of the capabilities and the readiness of the Republic of Cyprus to respond in this field.
(EFYs/EP)
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