REMINDER - UCPM Peer Review on Wildfire ITALY - CALL FOR PEERS

Commission européenne/Europese Commissie, 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel, BELGIQUE/BELGIË - Tel. +32 22991111

EUROPEAN COMMISSION DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR EUROPEAN CIVIL PROTECTION AND HUMANITARIAN AID

OPERATIONS (ECHO) Disaster Preparedness and Prevention

Prevention and Disaster Risk Management

Brussels ECHO.B.2/JS

CORRESPONDENCE SLIP

ADDRESSEES: Directors-General for Civil Protection of the Member States and Participating

States to the Union Civil Protection Mechanism

Subject: Call for nomination of peers – UCPM Peer Review

Deadline for submitting nominations: Friday 23 February 2024

Country Date of field mission Type of peer review

Italy

20 May– 24 May 2024

Thematic review

Wildfire risk management

Dear colleagues,

Italy, represented by the Italian Civil Protection Department, has volunteered to undergo a

wildfire specific peer review within the 2020-2024 cycle of the UCPM Peer Review

Programme.

DG ECHO hereby publishes a call for nomination of peers for this review, open to staff in

civil protection and disaster risk management (DRM) authorities/organisations in UCPM

Member and Participating States. Given the wildfire focus, DG ECHO encourages national

civil protection authorities to share the call for peers with colleagues working for other

relevant organisations that are involved in wildfire risk management.

The key priorities of this review on wildfire risk management have been defined in

consultation with the Italian authorities. DG ECHO will, together with the Italian authorities,

select peers based on the experience and skills needed for these priorities. Selected peers

voluntarily commit their time and expertise, and, in their assessment and conclusions, they

should strive to conduct an objective and evidence-based assessment. They should also share

good practices in DRM and should recommend improvements in the disaster management

policy and operations of the reviewed country. The peers are also encouraged to integrate

their gained experience into their respective national systems.

The peers will take part in an on-site mission to Italy in the week of 20 to 24 May 2024 (with

arrival the weekend before and departure the weekend after). They will also be invited to

attend a one-day preparatory meeting held on 11 April 2024 in Brussels. Costs for attending

the on-site mission as well as the preparatory meeting will be covered (for travel,

2

accommodation and subsistence). During the mission, the peers will be accompanied and

supported by DG ECHO representatives as well as representatives of the external consultant

assisting the review process throughout (this assistance includes support for drafting the peer

review report). Post-mission online meetings will also be held, with a view to finalise the

report and discuss findings with the reviewed country. Therefore, it is expected that peers

commit to attending all relevant meetings, as needed.

Required expertise of peers

The overall objective of this peer review is to identify areas for improvements and highlight

good practices within the Italian wildfire risk management and civil protection system. The

review will look into national and regional governance issues, addressing the following key

focus areas:

- Governance of wildfire risk management: overall governance as well as the

legislative and institutional framework

- Wildfire preparedness: overall legislative and institutional framework

- Wildfire response: overall legislative and institutional framework

Given the objectives and expectations of the Italian peer review, DG ECHO is looking for

four peers with the below mentioned experience and expertise.

Peer 1 and 2: expert in policy and institutional aspects of wildfire risk management

Professional experience: progressively senior managerial experience within a civil protection

- national or sub-national - authority and/or managerial experience in forest management

strategies with proved knowledge in civil protection; proved experience in drafting and

implementing wildfire risk reduction and management policies, strategies and plans;

experience in supporting institutional reforms and/or change of the wildfire risk reduction

legal and institutional framework, good knowledge of the global frameworks addressing

natural and human-induced risks (i.e. Sendai Framework for DRR 2015-2030, Sustainable

Development Agenda, Paris agreement on climate change); good knowledge of the Union

Civil Protection Mechanism; good knowledge of sources, methods and tools for risk

financing including insurance.

Will be considered an additional asset: knowledge of the Italian disaster and wildfire risk

management system; knowledge of socio-economic aspects for wildfire risk management,

experience in public finance and public investment programmes for wildfire risk management

including EU funding (e.g., ERDF, EAFRD, Recovery and Resilience facility), experience in

preparing investment projects on wildfire risk management.

Peer 3: expert in wildfire risk preparedness

Professional experience required: excellent knowledge of wildfire risk preparedness

measures and experience in identifying and implementing wildfire preparedness measures at

national and/or sub-national level. Experience in drafting and implementing wildfire risk

preparedness strategies and contingency plans at the different territorial levels; experience in

implementing training and civil protection exercises (Command Post exercises, Table Top

exercises, Full Scale exercises); experience in developing ground and/or aerial response

capacities for wildfire risk; knowledge and experience in early warning systems for wildfire

risk; experience in designing and implementing risk awareness and communication

campaigns focused on wildfire risk at national and/or sub-national level.

3

Will be considered an additional asset: knowledge of the Italian disaster and wildfire risk

management system; participation in UCPM missions in Italy; experience in EUCPT

(European Civil Protection Team) missions; experience as EUCP module team leader.

Peer 4: expert in wildfire emergency response

Professional experience required: excellent knowledge of wildfire management activities;

experience in implementing wildfire response activities at national and/or sub-national level;

participation in wildfire management activities in recent international/national emergencies;

experience in coordinating ground and/or aerial response operations; experience in needs and

impact assessment and business continuity; excellent knowledge of the UCPM functioning.

Will be considered an additional asset: knowledge of the Italian disaster and wildfire risk

management system; participation in UCPM missions in Italy; knowledge of Host Nations

Support guidelines and processes.

How to submit nominations for peers

You are invited to send nominations to the Peer Review mailbox (ECHO-CP-PEER-

[email protected]), latest by Friday 23 February 2024.

Candidates should provide a CV, if possible in the Europass format

(https://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/documents/curriculum-vitae), clearly demonstrating the

experience in civil protection and disaster risk management covering prevention and

preparedness, especially with regards to the areas of expertise listed above and the thematic

priorities of the review.

For potential candidates not working for a national civil protection authority, prior to

submitting your candidacy, kindly inform your respective civil protection authority and

include a proof of this with your application.

Please note that full proficiency in English is required while knowledge of the Italian

language will be considered an additional asset.

Female candidates are encouraged to apply, with a view to form a gender-balanced peer

team.

For information, a one-pager factsheet of the UCPM Peer Review Programme is annexed.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact my team responsible for the

UCPM Peer Review Programme.

We look forward to receiving your nominations. Please be informed that DG ECHO will

launch again in June a new call for peers. It will concern the wildfire focused peer review of

Land Brandenburg, Germany (with the review mission tentatively in September/October).

Yours sincerely,

[e-signed]

Leonor NIETO

Head of Unit

4

Contact:

Judith Sorensen

Tel.: +32 229-81234

E-mail: [email protected]

Enclosure: Fact Sheet - UCPM Peer Review Programme

c.c.: Civil Protection Committee delegates; Disaster Prevention Expert Group

members; Expert Group on Forest Fires; experts involved in the development

of the Wildfire Peer Review Assessment Framework

Electronically signed on 23/01/2024 12:28 (UTC+01) in accordance with Article 11 of Commission Decision (EU) 2021/2121

Saatja: <[email protected]> Saadetud: 16.02.2024 12:44

Koopia: <[email protected]> Teema: REMINDER - UCPM Peer Review on Wildfire ITALY - CALL FOR PEERS / deadline

next week Manused: image001.gif; Correspondence Slip_Peer Review ITALY_call for nomination of peers .pdf; Peer review 2020-2024_Factsheet.pdf

TÄHELEPANU! Tegemist on väljastpoolt asutust saabunud kirjaga. Tundmatu saatja korral palume linke ja faile

mitte avada!

Dear colleagues, For the upcoming wildfire-specific peer review of Italy with regards to the launched call for peers, hereby sending a little reminder that the deadline for submitting candidates for participation in the review is next week Friday 23rd February. Best regards, Judith Sorensen / Peer Review team

From: ECHO CP PEER REVIEW Sent: Tuesday, January 23, 2024 3:34 PM Subject: UCPM Peer Review on Wildfire ITALY - CALL FOR PEERS / deadline 23 February Dear Directors General, Dear CPC delegates and DPEG members, Italy has volunteered for a UCPM Peer Review on their wildfire risk management system. DG ECHO is looking for four peers for this review, for participation in the in-country mission and related meetings. We invite you to propose suitable colleagues as peers. For the further details including the expertise needed we refer to the attached letter and factsheet. Please already pay attention to the dates mentioned for travel and availability of the selected peers: 11 April 2024 for a preparatory meeting in Brussels and the in-country mission to Italy is planned for 20-24 May 2024. The deadline for submitting candidates is Friday 23 February 2024. We look forward to receiving your nominations. If there are any questions in the meantime please do not hesitate to contact us. Best regards, Judith Sorensen / Peer Review team

European Commission DG ECHO - European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations Unit B.3 - Prevention and Preparedness Capacity Building Office L-130 04/165 B-1049 Brussels/Belgium Phone +32 (0)2 29 81234 E-mail [email protected] Peer Review site https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/what/civil-protection/peer- review-programme_en

A Peer Review of disaster risk management provides a country or a region with an opportunity to reflect on its readiness to cope with natural and man-made disasters and to identify ways of improving risk prevention and preparedness.

PEER REVIEW OF DISASTER RISK MANAGEMENT AND CIVIL PROTECTION SYSTEMS

For further information on the Peer Review programme: [email protected]

The 2020-2024 Peer Review programme is implemented in cooperation with

What are the benefits of a peer review? Based on an independent analysis, a peer review assists civil protection authorities in improving its DRM capabilities, and

X identifies better approaches to policy and operations, X facilitates mutual learning and exchange of good practice, X raises awareness among stakeholders involved in DRM in the

reviewed country, X proposes concrete recommendations.

The European Commission’s Directorate General for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO), under the framework of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM), supports the Member States, the Participating States, eligible Third Countries and the European Neighbourhood Policy countries to review their disaster risk management (DRM) policies and practices by taking stock of strengths and weaknesses and putting forward recommendations to increase effectiveness. The EU Peer Review programme promotes an integrated approach to disaster risk management by taking a comprehensive look at prevention, preparedness and response actions. Peer

reviews also support a wider policy dialogue across Europe and beyond, improving policy coherence and facilitating the exchange of good practices on civil protection and DRM. Participating countries form a network of practitioners sharing experiences and lessons learned. To date, 16 countries have benefited from a peer review: (in chronological order) the United Kingdom, Finland, Bulgaria, Georgia, Turkey, Estonia, Malta, Poland, Cyprus, North Macedonia, Tunisia, Serbia, Algeria, Portugal, Romania, and the Republic of Moldova (reports can be found at: https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/what/ civilprotection/peer-review-programme_en)

How is a peer review conducted? X The Peer Review programme operates on the basis of a

strong, transparent partnership between DG ECHO and the civil protection authorities of the country under review. Countries expressing an interest in enrolling in the 2020-2024 programme discuss objectives and expected outcomes of a peer review with DG ECHO.

X DG ECHO selects a team of experts (the “peers”) with the relevant experience from national civil protection authorities of the countries participating in the UCPM.

X The peers prepare an initial desk report, summarising the DRM system, along with insights from a survey among relevant stakeholders, selected in close collaboration with the reviewed country.

X The peer review team travels to the country under review (organised by DG ECHO and the reviewed country), to gain on-the-ground insights into how the DRM is organised and to identify both strengths and potential areas for improvement. The duration of the mission usually is from 5 to 10 days, decided in conjunction with the reviewed country.

X Based on the knowledge and evidence collected during the mission, the peer review team drafts the report, which includes recommendations. The civil protection authorities will have the opportunity to review and comment on the report during the drafting process.

X The peer review team formally hands over the peer review report to the civil protection authority. From the review to the final report it generally takes from 4 to 6 months.