Tabletop exercises in Ararat, Vayk, Martuni and Vardenis

Within the framework of the project "Strengthening community resilience and disaster preparedness for forced displacement in Armenia"  the final activities of the year were tabletop exercises, which were conducted in the communities of Vayk, Martuni, Vardenis and Ararat.

The purpose of these exercises was to test the Community Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Plans developed under the same project and to improve the coordinated work of local authorities and other responding institutions in potential emergency situations, at a theoretical level.

Different scenarios were simulated in the communities (developed for various hazards), and a number of issues were discussed. A significant part of these discussions, considering the nature of the project, focused on social protection issues, such as organizing the reception of evacuees, selecting and arranging locations for accommodation, registration of evacuees and needs assessment, provision of services at reception points, and other related matters.

Overall, the exercises contributed to achieving the intended objectives and helped local authorities become better prepared. They provided an opportunity to discuss specific situations, present and explain their planned actions, align them within the overall response framework, and draw lessons learned.

In total, 101 officials participated in the exercises, representing municipal administrations, community institutions, and local and national services.

The project is implemented with financial support from the EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Service (ECHO) and through the joint efforts of UNHCR, World Vision Armenia, the RA MES Rescue Service, the Disaster Risk Reduction National Platform (ARNAP) Foundation, HEKS EPER, the Armenian Association of Social Workers, and the partner communities.