Delegation from the Ukrainian Red Cross and the State Emergency Service of Ukraine Meets with German Government Agencies on Civil Protection
Representatives of the Ukrainian Red Cross, the German Red Cross, and the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SESU) are taking part in a joint working visit to Germany. During the visit, the delegation met with German partners — the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief (BBK, Bundesamt für Bevölkerungsschutz und Katastrophenhilfe) and the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW, Technisches Hilfswerk), which operates primarily on a volunteer basis.
During the meeting, the Ukrainian side presented key lessons learned and experiences gained in the course of the full-scale war, while their German counterparts shared insights into the organisation and functioning of Germany’s civil protection system. The partners discussed issues such as the coordination of civil protection, public preparedness, crisis management, early warning and emergency response systems, as well as the mobilisation of auxiliary forces for disaster response both domestically and abroad.
The discussion covered, in particular:
- the development and promotion of volunteering, including effective mechanisms for volunteer engagement;
- the structure of Germany’s civil protection system;
- cooperation within the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM);
- issues related to CBRN protection (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear).
One of the key objectives of the Ukrainian delegation was to learn from Germany’s experience of cooperation between public authorities and volunteer organisations — in particular, principles of shared responsibility, coordination and communication in the field of civil protection.
The meeting marked another important step towards strengthening the partnership between Ukraine and Germany and enhancing cooperation in the areas of civil protection and volunteering.
The visit was organised with the support of the German Red Cross.
