The EUR-OPA Committee of Permanent Correspondent held its 70th Meeting on 14-15 March in Monaco. The participants discussed and adopted in particular the thematic proposals for the Agreement’s work Programme 2018-2019. At the opening of the meeting, Gilles Tonelli, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Monaco, pointed out the importance of the EUR-OPA cooperation platform to exchange good practices on disaster risk reduction and the need to invest in public awareness and education activities to develop population resilience.

• Speech of Gilles Tonelli, Government Advisor - Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Monaco

30^th Anniversary of  EUR-OPA Agreement

On 14 March 2017, in the framework of the 70^th Committee of Permanent Correspondent meeting, a celebration marked the 30th anniversary of EUR-OPA and gathered representatives of the scientific communities as well as former Executive Secretaries of the Agreement.

• Jean Pierre Massué, Executive Secretary of EUR-OPA Agreement (1998 – 2004) presented in particular the history of the EUR-OPA foundation since the political inception phase of the Agreement.
  Presentation
• Eladio Fernandez-Galiano, Executive Secretary of EUR-OPA Agreement (2015-2016) recalled his endeavors to initiate EUR-OPA initiatives in line with Council of Europe principles and priorities, such as the integration of vulnerable groups (migrants, people with disabilities) in disaster risk reduction, the important work on ethic and major hazards, and on cultural heritage and climate change. He also promoted the creation of the European Forum on Disaster Risk Reduction and set up its secretariat composed by the Council of Europe, UNISDR and the European Commission.
• Gianluca Silvestrini, Executive Secretary of EUR-OPA Agreement (2017-present) presented the new perspectives for the work of the Agreement.
• Alfonso Andria, President of the European University Centre for Cultural Heritage, recalled the history of the foundation of the Ravello’s Centre in 1983 to promote the protection of cultural heritage in areas at risk and the subsequent establishment of the EUR-OPA Agreement in 1985.
  Presentation