TİKA Continues Its Search and Rescue Trainings in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) organized “Bosnia Herzegovina Urban Search and Rescue Trainer Training” to increase Bosnia Herzegovina’s intervention capacity in emergencies and disasters. The trainings were organized within the scope of the Emergency and Disaster Intervention Training Program (ADAMEP) in coordination with Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), Bosnia-Herzegovina Ministry of Security and IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation.

Since 2019, search and rescue trainings have been organized in Bosnia Herzegovina. As part of these trainings, “Urban Search and Rescue Trainer Training” was held in Foča in Bosnia Herzegovina from May 8 to 15, 2022. 30 search and rescue workers from different parts of Bosnia Herzegovina participated in the trainings. At the end of the training, those who passed the training were given a certificate in the Ministry of Security. Bakir Dautbaşiç, Counsellor to the Minister of Security, Özgür Şahin, Undersecretary representing the Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye in Bosnia Herzegovina, Muhammed Ünal, TİKA Sarajevo Program Coordinator, and Emre Yerli, Vice President in charge of Disaster Management at Humanitarian Relief Foundation and local search and rescue teams participated in the ceremony.  

Bakir Dautbaşiç, Counsellor to the Minister of Security thanked and congratulated the participants who successfully participated in the Urban Search and Rescue Trainer Training and thanked Türkiye for the training activities run by TİKA.  He stated that Bosnia Herzegovina is prone to earthquakes and added that the trainings will enable local teams to be coordinated and transferred to the disaster areas when needed. He maintained that the 30 search and rescue workers who became trainers within the program would be registered in “European Union Civil Protection Mechanism”. He concluded his speech saying that he hoped their cooperation with Türkiye would continue in the future.

Muhammed Ünal, TİKA Sarajevo Program Coordinator said Türkiye has been transferring its experience in search and rescue to the sister country, Bosnia Herzegovina since 2019. 400 participants have participated in rural and urban search and rescue trainings, first aid trainings and winter search and rescue trainings organized in Bosnia Herzegovina so far. He indicated that the trainings held with the cooperation of the Ministry of Security of Bosnia Herzegovina increased the local teams’ capacity to respond to natural disasters and added that preparations already started to offer the next training, “Water Search and Rescue Basic Training” in June.  

Emre Yerli, Vice President in charge of Disaster Management at Humanitarian Relief Foundation said that they have been working to improve cooperation in search and rescue since 1992. He indicated that the cooperation with TİKA and the Ministry of Security helped to offer the targeted trainings in Bosnia Herzegovina and improve coordination. He stated that because of global warming, more and more disasters hit the countries regardless of frontiers and emphasized the importance of a collective fight against climate change. He maintained that Bosnia Herzegovina was of the first countries to side with Türkiye in such difficult times and congratulated all the participants who completed the program successfully.

Now the plan within is to continue water search and rescue trainings within ADAMEP to increase Bosnia Herzegovina’s local capacity in search and rescue.