Teamwork for integrated emergency management in South East Europe (TIEM)
A Museums Emergency Programme Education Initiative
November 2007 - September 2008

Partners

• UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organizations) 
• ICOM (The International Council of Museums)
• GCI (Getty Conservation Institute)
• National Archives, Netherlands
• ICOM-SEE (ICOM subgroup for South East Europe)
• ICOM National Committee of the FYR of Macedonia
• ICCROM (International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property)

Duration: Ten months (November 2008 - September 2008). Includes the following phases:

• Introductory Workshop: Two weeks (19 November-1 December, 2007)
• Distance Mentoring: Eight months (1 January 2008-August 31-2008)
• Final Review Meeting: One week (September 2008)

Place: Introductory Workshop, Ohrid, FYR of Macedonia

Background
Recent disasters in different parts of the world have led to catastrophic losses of cultural heritage (for example, the fire in the royal palaces and tombs of Antananarivo, Madagascar in 1995, the damage caused to collections of the national museum in Kobe, Japan due to an earthquake in the same year, and more recently the losses from floods in Europe and hurricane Katrina in the United States of America).

Teamwork for Integrated Emergency Management (TIEM) builds capacity in national heritage institutions in disaster-prone regions to undertake risk assessment, emergency preparedness and response. It is a regional project, designed to stimulate local networking and sharing of resources that are essential for efficient and quick first response in an emergency.

A joint initiative of ICOM (the International Council of Museums), the GCI (the Getty Conservation Institute) and ICCROM (the International Centre for the study of the preservation and restoration of cultural property), the first TIEM project was held in Asia in 2005-6. The second TIEM project is curently underway in South East Europe. This region of Europe has rich cultural resources, but is still recovering from conflict and a series of natural disasters. The project is supported by UNESCO.

Participating teams
The participants are from nine national museums and two universities, from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, FYR of Macedonia, Moldavia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia. Each museum is represented by two staff members.

Aim
At the end of the course, in September 2008, participants will be able to:

• use a systematic approach to identify, analyze, evaluate, mitigate disaster risks within their specific context and respond effectively to emergency situations;
• use the terminology appropriately;
• communicate risks more effectively within the professional and local community, including the local authorities/institutions;
• propose and carry out a project to start or improve Integrated Emergency Management in their institution and local context, and to build a network of resources and expertise at the regional level;
• build Integrated Emergency Management into their institutions’ current and future training activities.

Methodology
Phase I: Successfully implemented
Introductory Workshop, Ohrid, FYR of Macedonia( 19 November - 1 December 2007)
A two-week workshop at Ohrid, FYR of Macedonia was organized to introduce concepts of integrated risk management including risk assessment, emergency preparedness and response. Thirty professionals from South East Europe and other parts of the world attended.
Structure of the workshop:

• Module 1: Introduction
• Module 2: Disaster Risk Assessment
• Module 3: Mitigating Disasters
• Module 4: Emergency preparedness and response
• Module 5: Recovery and Rehabilitation
• Module 6: Emergency plans

Phase II: Under implementation
Distance Mentoring (1 January - 31 August 2008
During this phase, participants will complete their projects according to an agreed timetable and plan of action. The course website will serve as a platform for reporting progress, exchanging information and developing further knowledge and skills. Instructors will serve as resources or ‘mentors’ to provide guidance as required.

Phase III: To be implemented
Final Review Meeting (September 2008)
It is expected that during the distance mentoring phase of TIEM-SEE, participating institutions will have created tools and procedures for risk assessment and emergency preparedness including:

• observation sheets for risk assessments;
• evacuation plans;
• agreements with outside agencies such as the police or fire fighters;
• organizational charts for Emergency Planning Committees;
• inventory systems;
• training methods and didactic tools.

Expected outcomes

• Professional capacity-building: twenty heritage professionals representing eleven national or regional institutions will increase their knowledge and skills in disaster risk management. They will have a clear understanding of the Integrated Emergency Management approach and will be able to design as well as implement emergency management programmes.
• Institutional capacity-building: As a result of the ongoing distance mentoring programme, eleven institutions within the region will develop and test their own dynamic emergency preparedness plans. The plan of actions of the participating teams includes capacity building of other cultural heritage institutions in their respective countries thereby multiplying the impacts and benefits of TIEM-SEE training.
• Networking: TIEM-SEE has been designed to create a robust regional network for South East Europe. The participating teams have proposed several cross-national projects that will not only expand the existing network of disaster risk management agencies but also encourage resource generation at a regional level for mounting quick response and recovery operations in the event of a disaster.

updated on: 25 February, 2008