| Civil Defence |

BeSafeNet Olympiad : “Better knowledge against disasters”

Strasbourg, 9 April 2019

Secondary schools from the member States of the European and Mediterranean Major Hazards Agreement (EUR-OPA) are getting ready for the first International online competition on “Better knowledge against disasters” taking place on 16 April 2019.

With more than 140 schools from 12 countries Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Malta, Monaco, Romania, Slovak Republic and Ukraine already registered, this “Olympiad” will give students a chance to strengthen their knowledge on natural and technological hazards that they could face inside or outside the school. The students will also learn the adequate behaviour in risk situations and how to reduce the potential impact of disasters.

The Olympiad is organised in the context of the BeSafeNet project supported by the EUR-OPA Major Hazards Agreement of the Council of Europe and implemented by the Cyprus Civil Defence. It aims at sharing reliable information on the nature, causes and consequences of natural and technological disasters through the internet as well as at promoting a global risk culture among populations, in particular young people.

Created in 1987, the European and Mediterranean Major Hazards Agreement (EUR-OPA) of the Council of Europe is a platform for co-operation between European and Southern Mediterranean countries in the field of major natural and technological disasters. Its field of action covers the knowledge of hazards, risk prevention and risk management. It has up to date 25 member States.