CLOSING THE GAP OF NATIONAL CONTINGENCY PLANS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN REGION – NATIONAL WORKSHOP IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA, NEUM, 27-28 APRIL 2021 – MAY 07, 2021

Between 27 and 29 April 2021, Neum, the only coastal town in Bosnia and Herzegovina, hosted two activities for the development of the National Contingency Plan (NCP) of Bosnia and Herzegovina, namely the National Workshop on Emergency Response to marine pollution incidents at managerial level (27-28 April 2021), and the Meeting of competent authorities in charge of the the National Contingency Plan of Bosnia and Herzegovina (29 April 2021).

This activity is another demonstration of the integrated approach of the Mediterranean Action Plan of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP/MAP) and its Component. The development of the NCP, coordinated and led by the Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC), is an integral part of the development of the Coastal Area Management Programme (CAMP) for Bosnia and Herzegovina. The CAMP project is being carried out within the framework of the Barcelona Convention, under the leadership of the Priority Actions Programme Regional Activity Centre (PAP/RAC).

The Workshop was attended by 18 participants comprising senior officials, managerial staff and administrators from state, federal, cantonal, and local authorities and services whose responsibilities include responding to civil emergencies and maritime affairs.

While the objective of the Workshop was to provide the necessary knowledge to enable them to take an active role in the next phases of the development of the NCP, the Meeting aimed at presenting the work plan for the development of the NCP, discussing the proposed outline of the plan, and agreeing upon the way forward for its implementation and completion.

The Meeting was chaired by a representative of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and External Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is the Lead Agency for CAMP Project and was addressed by the Head of Office of REMPEC in an introductory speech via Skype.

These events provided a better understanding of relevant state, federal and cantonal arrangements for civil emergencies, the relations among different authorities, and also provided useful inputs for the next phases of the project including the preparation of the draft National Contingency Plan of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the organisation of a two-day national exercise to test the first draft NCP followed by a meeting to review the draft NCP.