TİKA Trains Search and Rescue Personnel in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Ministry of Security, and Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (IHH) organized the “Basic Search and Rescue in Nature Training” in the district of Tjentište in the city of Foča in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Within the framework of the Emergency and Disaster Response Training Program (ADAMEP) launched by TİKA, the Basic Search and Rescue in Nature Training was organized in the region of Tjentište in Bosnia and Herzegovina. A total of 32 people from the personnel of the Civil Protection Administrations of Republika Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and mountain search and rescue teams in more than 10 cities were trained in cooperation with TİKA and Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Ministry of Security.

Trainees were given theoretical and applied training in many different fields related to search and rescue activities in nature such as the organization of the team, the movement pattern, proceeding to the scene, and rescue methods.

32 trainees were awarded certificates at the end of the joint drill held at Mount Maglić and in the valleys of the Tara River in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Deputy Minister of Security Samir Agić, Deputy Director of Civil Protection Administration of Bosnia and Herzegovina Republika Srpska Darko Ljuboje, TİKA Sarajevo Program Coordinator Ömer Faruk Alımcı, and İHH Vice Chairman Yakup Işık attended the certification ceremony.

During his speech, Deputy Director of Civil Protection Administration of Bosnia and Herzegovina Republika Srpska Darko Ljuboje said that the project was very successful and that everybody was pleased with it. Ljuboje also stated that they needed TİKA to continue to support such training activities, and expressed his gratitude to the Republic of Turkey for their support to search and rescue personnel.

TİKA Sarajevo Program Coordinator Alımcı said that TİKA has been supporting the development processes of Bosnia and Herzegovina with more than 900 projects and activities in the country since 1995. Alımcı stated that the 6-day training aimed to improve the human resources capacity in the field of search and rescue, and expressed his gratitude to the project partners for their contribution.

Expressing his satisfaction with the training program, which he hosted, Chief of Foča Mountain Search and Rescue Nenad Ikonic said: “I would like to thank TİKA and Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Ministry of Security for their contribution to this project, which allowed the sharing of experience and the establishment of the bonds of friendship by bringing together search and rescue teams from different parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina.”

During his speech, İHH Vice Chairman Yakup Işık stated that İHH, which extends its helping hand to oppressed groups in 135 countries with the motto “Goodness is everywhere” and organizes similar training courses in many countries, was happy to participate in this project.

During his speech, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Deputy Minister of Security Samir Agić said that all the officials who try to touch people’s lives are part of a great family, regardless of their ethnicity, language, or religion. He emphasized that the instructors from Turkey are also part of this family and stated that he was happy to collaborate with TİKA and that the Ministry will support future training courses and activities.

After speeches, the program ended with the presentation of certificates to the trainees who were successful in the training and certificates of appreciation to instructors.

Bringing together search and rescue personnel from all parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina for the first time, the project aims to create a local trainer pool in the fields of Search and Rescue in Nature and Urban Search and Rescue.