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Addressing the role of local governments and communities in urban security governance Seminar on local emergency planning held in Lisbon, Portugal

Lisbon -

A seminar on Local Emergency Planning, organized by the Lisbon Municipal Civil Protection Services, took place on 14 October in Lisbon, Portugal.

The seminar, which was opened by Mr. Carlos Manuel Castro, Councillor for Security and Civil Protection, of the Municipality of Lisbon, aimed at discussing the role of local governments and communities in urban security and civil protection as well as sharing experiences in local emergency planning.

UNICRI participated in the opening panel and delivered a presentation on the increasing role of local governments and communities in urban security governance from a global perspective. The presentation focused on the business sector and civil society involvement in the formulation and implementation of local emergency policy and plans. It incorporated UNICRI’s research and experience in public-private partnerships (PPP) for the protection of vulnerable targets, and shared the outcomes and lessons learned from the PPP pilot project, implemented by UNICRI in cooperation with the Public Security Police of Portugal, since 2009.

Approximately 100 persons, including representatives from the National Civil Protection Authority, local institutions and the media, attended the seminar. The event represents an important step towards an increasingly collaborative relationship with local government in Portugal in view of strengthening urban security governance at national and regional level. The initiative is part of the UNICRI Public-Private Security Programme for the protection of vulnerable targets, which aims, inter alia, to promote regional, national and local initiatives through the identification, development and testing of innovative security cooperation models.