(UCPM-2023-KAPP-PREV) - PREVENTION PROJECTS
Call: Knowledge for Action in Prevention and Preparedness EU
Topic description
Objective:
Themes & priorities:
Applicants are invited to select one or several of the following priorities:
Priority 1: Risk assessments, anticipation and risk management planning
This priority aims at enhancing the eligible entities’ capability to identify and assess relevant disaster risks with potential transboundary and cross-sectoral impacts and use that information to reinforce disaster prevention and preparedness activities. Without an assessment that takes into account cross-border risks, cascading effects, exposed or vulnerable areas, and vulnerable and social excluded groups, disaster risk management strategies will only partially address the risks a country faces.
Priority 2: Risk awareness
Population plays an important role in disaster prevention and preparedness and citizens are usually the first responders to natural or human-induced disasters. National, regional and local authorities should cooperate, together with the private sector and civil society organisations, to increase disaster risk awareness and preparedness of the population. Evidence-based risk information and communication, as well as education activities, targeted to the public, including vulnerable groups and persons with disabilities, and volunteers, become thus effective tools to raise awareness on disaster prevention, preparedness and response measures.
Priority 3: Early warning
Early warning systems are key elements for disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. In the wake of the Covid-19 crisis and with the recent extreme weather events and cascading impacts across sectors, the importance of advanced multi-hazard and risk warnings has never been more widely acknowledged. Although in Europe there is considerable experience with early warning systems, especially for weather and climate-related hazards, recent disasters have shown that more effort and collaboration is necessary.
Priority 4: Wildfire prevention
Wildfire prevention is an important element of wildfire management, as investing in prevention can help reducing the probability of fire ignition and managing the fire behaviour. This can contribute to protecting lives, livestock, the environment, and property. According to studies, the results of wildfire prevention investments benefit-cost assessments yield net benefits. Wildfire prevention encompasses a broad variety of actions - including on forest management, spatial planning, training and education activities, public awareness, early warning, shared risk governance, etc. It also requires action at all levels (national, regional, and local), while considering cross-country implications and a multi-sectorial governance, involving forest owners, communities, authorities, tourism actors, researchers, etc.
Proposals that can be funded:
Under Priority 1 (Risk assessments, anticipation and risk management planning), this call for proposals will co-finance activities that aim to assess and quantify risks and/or prepare management plans for risks with a multi-country or cross-border impact. Proposals could either build on and/or expand existing risk assessments and risk management plans, or they could develop new risk assessment or plans. In addition, proposals aiming to enhance the availability of tools and guidelines on risk assessment and risk management planning are also encouraged to apply. Projects under this priority should follow a multi-hazard approach.
Under Priority 2 (Risk awareness), this call for proposals co-finances activities that aim to raise and enhance risk awareness and preparedness of the population, including through increasing the overall level of risk awareness, prevention and preparedness measures amongst the population, improving public access to disaster risk information, and enhancing the culture of risk prevention and self-protection. Proposals aiming to increase the availability of tools and guidelines on raising citizens’ awareness on disaster risks are also eligible.
Under Priority 3 (Early warning), this call for proposals will co-finance activities that aim to build and improve forecasting, detection and monitoring capabilities, as well as public warning and alert systems. Proposals should prove that they build on previous efforts or that there is an identified gap for the action.
Under Priority 4 (Wildfire prevention), this call for proposals will co-finance activities that aim to develop or improve wildfire data collection and analysis, wildfire risks assessment, wildfire risk management planning, wildfire risk governance, and wildfire early warning systems (by building upon existing instruments such as European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) to the extent possible). Also, proposals aimed at raising public awareness, developing education and training material, and improving the understanding on the wildfire-related risks and prevention measures among key actors, are encouraged. Proposals should take into account aspects such as, inter alia, climate change impact on wildfire danger; fire weather forecast; fire propagation based on terrain, fuel and weather; and behavioural elements.
An active involvement of end-users in the proposal drafting and implementation is recommended. End-users may be disaster risk management authorities at various levels, civil society organisations, private companies, and other stakeholders in the eligible countries.
For more information about prevention projects co-financed under previous calls:
Members of consortium are required to conclude a consortium agreement, in principle prior to the signature of the grant agreement.
Scope:The Prevention topic in the UCPM-2023-KAPP call is based on the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) legislation, which sets out the framework for disaster risk prevention and management at EU level. The specific priorities of this call include the following: Risk assessments, anticipation, and risk management planning, Risk awareness, and Early warning. Proposals should follow, to the extent possible, a multi-hazard approach, in line with the guiding principles of the Sendai Framework for disaster risk reduction 2015-2030. This general approach should also be reflected in cases of proposals with a focus on a single hazard.
In addition, this call also includes a wildfire prevention priority. Wildfire is one of the recurrent hazards leading to the activation of the UCPM. In 2022, wildfires burned nearly 900 000 ha, being the second worst year on record for the EU, after 2017, with a 250% increase over the average burnt area in the last 15 years. Therefore, wildfire prevention receives a particular attention under this call, with a view to encourage integrated projects and the development of relevant tools and activities.
The overall objective of the Mechanism is to strengthen the cooperation among EU Member States and UCPM Participating States in the field of civil protection in order to facilitate coordination to improve the effectiveness of system for preventing, preparing for and responding to natural and man-made disasters. Any country in the world overwhelmed by a disaster can call on the Mechanism for help. By pooling the civil protection capabilities of the EU Member States and UCPM Participating States, the Mechanism can ensure better protection primarily of people, but also of the natural and cultural environment and of property.
In addition to the UCPM-2023-KAPP, direct grants without calls for proposals for disaster risk management actions –‘Technical Assistance for Disaster Risk Management’- will be launched simultaneously. They will address national disaster risk management authorities of the EU Member and UCPM Participating States. An invitation to submit a proposal will be sent to the above mentioned authorities.
Full background information about European civil protection activities is available at http://ec.europa.eu/echo/what/civil-protection_en.