Arctic Council working group to meet in Vorkuta
The Arctic Council Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response Working Group plans to hold its next meeting in the town of Vorkuta, Republic of Komi, in June. Included in the plans for the meeting is a trip to Novaya Zemlya.
- We are doing all we can to make this event as good as possible, says Head of the Komi Regional Department of The Ministry of Emergency Situations (EMERCOM) Oleg Manuylo, web site Komi Inform writes. - EMERCOM will have a leading role in organizing the visit and in securing the participant’s safety, he adds.
The meeting takes place from June 16-18, the working group’s web site reads.
The working group consists of members from all the eight Arctic Council member states. The group’s chairmanship is currently held by the USA.
The mandate of the EPPR Working Group is to deal with the prevention, preparedness and response to environmental emergencies in the Arctic. The work has focused mainly on oil and gas transportation and extraction, and on radiological and other hazards. In 2004, EPPR was directed by the Arctic Ministers to expand its mandate to include natural disasters.
