European Civil Protection Forum: How Emergency Shelter can Reduce Vulnerability

Cities Alliance participates in the European Civil Protection Forum 2024, on the interactive panel discussion 'More than just a Roof: How Emergency Shelter can Reduce Vulnerability.'

Emergencies increase vulnerability for many people who already face significant barriers in society. These could be related to, for example, gender, age, disability, ethnic and religious background, or sexual orientation. Such groups are more impacted by immediate effects of crises like flooding, pandemics and conflict, and often have less access to aid and long-term recovery. 

Using emergency shelter as an example, the session will show the importance of including people who are most at risk, starting from preparedness through response, while enabling links with long-term planning. The conversation will provide tangible examples of how small changes in ways of working can have an enormous impact, especially for the most vulnerable people.

Cities Alliance will be represented by Giulia Maci, Gender specialist and Programme Manager for the Euro-Mediterranean Region, who will present our inclusive approach to housing and urban development, featuring case studies from Cities Alliance and UNOPS in Haiti, Ukraine, and the MENA region.

Speakers: 

• Elena Giral, Program coordinator rescEU emergency shelter capacity, DG ECHO, European Commission

• Giulia Maci, Urban specialist, Cities Alliance/UNOPS

• Jenny Molin, Gender Advisor, Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, MSB

• Gordon Rattray, Programme Coordinator, European Disability Forum

The European Civil Protection Forum, takes place on 4-5 June in Brussels. Held biennially by the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), it is a key event for the Civil protection community in Europe. This year's edition main theme is 'Shaping a disaster-resilient Union: charting a path for the future of European civil protection'. The forum will reflect on the EU’s achievements in civil protection, fostering knowledge exchange and innovation as well as discussing the future direction of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism.