Anticipate future challenges in vital sectors and to support...

13 March 2019 News

Experts and participants in the Emergency and Crisis Conference 2019, which concluded its sessions yesterday, recommended the need to anticipate future challenges in vital sectors and to support scientific research in the field of emergencies and crises. This includes exploring innovative methods for preparedness, risk management, response, and recovery. They also emphasized the importance of establishing flexible frameworks and policies to handle emergency incidents, whether natural or man-made, in order to benefit from the efforts of all institutions, bodies, and community resources. This approach aims to achieve more effective results in crisis prevention or readiness after predicting the potential occurrence and magnitude of disasters, thereby mitigating their severity and reducing potential losses.

These recommendations were made on the second day of the conference titled "Anticipating the Future of Emergencies and Crises: Capabilities and Challenges," which was held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, National Security Advisor. The conference was attended by 1,450 experts in security, safety, and strategy concerned with developing frameworks and policies for emergency and crisis management systems.

The conference recommended several key actions, including: developing strategies for emergency management systems to align with future anticipations in crisis management according to global changes; enhancing readiness, predicting, and evaluating potential risks through a proactive approach to crisis management and scenario planning for preemptive solutions; consolidating and unifying international efforts to address food security and anticipate future challenges using modern technology; and developing the food security system, diversifying food sources, and strengthening government efforts to reduce waste and ensure food safety.

The conference also highlighted the importance of community involvement and collaboration for successful emergency management and risk reduction, and called for public awareness programs. It stressed the need to continuously update infrastructure to meet emergency management requirements and enhance the roles of government agencies, the private sector, and civil society. Additionally, it advocated for the unification and strengthening of roles of governments and organizations within the GCC to predict risks, build a shared risk database, and establish policies and frameworks for international assistance in emergencies, utilizing human, material, and technological resources, and optimizing their distribution using artificial intelligence.

The recommendations also included increasing support for scientific research in emergencies and crises, focusing on innovative methods for readiness, immediate response, and recovery; employing best practices to mitigate risks through the development of policies and frameworks, such as implementing the Sendai Framework; improving readiness and pre-event crowd management, utilizing lessons from Expo Milano and the Hajj season; developing methods to counter cyber-attacks and enhance proactive information exchange between countries; and improving early warning systems by leveraging digital technology in managing risks and threats.

Additionally, the recommendations emphasized using best practices to reduce risks through policy development and implementation in vital sectors, pre-event crowd management, and utilizing advanced technological solutions. It also called for the use of artificial intelligence in crisis management to address future challenges and enhance early warning systems for managing risks and threats, thereby improving national security and safety through effective risk warning systems.

Proactive Approach

In the keynote session, Her Excellency Mariam Al Mehairi, Minister of State for Food Security, stated: "The UAE has consistently adopted a proactive approach to dealing with crises and emergencies by anticipating and assessing potential risks, preparing plans to address these risks, and categorizing them based on impact and likelihood. This ensures that there are plans and response teams ready to act as needed, with mechanisms to anticipate and handle any emergency appropriately, thereby minimizing the effects of escalating emergencies to crisis or disaster levels."

She added: "Anticipating the future of emergencies and crises is a feasible factor for sustainable development and a safeguard for continuing the development and progress journey. Anticipating crises involves understanding a range of related issues, including preparation for those crises before they occur and the ability to respond to them. Key topics in this context include food security."

Food Security Challenges

Her Excellency highlighted that the UAE has been proactive in addressing food security challenges. In November 2018, the government launched the National Food Security Strategy, which aims to develop a comprehensive national system based on sustainable food production principles. This strategy defines the components of the national food basket, including 18 key items, based on three main criteria: understanding local consumption levels of key products, production and processing capacity, and nutritional needs.

She emphasized that modern technology is crucial for advancing agriculture-based food security, and supporting and encouraging technology in the food security sector is fundamental to enhancing the UAE’s position as a global innovation hub in food security. This is a key driver for achieving national security and continuing efforts to enhance emergency and crisis response systems.

Risk Anticipation

Mr. Angelo Borrelli, Head of the National Civil Protection Department at the Prime Minister's Office in Italy, said: "There is a scientific committee to anticipate events before they occur. In Italy, the law and some committee members organize specific protection laws. It is crucial for people to be highly skilled and qualified. We have evolving structural activities, infrastructure, and groups handling emergencies and crises."

He added: "In Italy, we work on providing indirect protection through frameworks and systems that guard against disasters. This committee participated in the European Forum on Major Disasters and Risks in 2018, where we discussed with our European colleagues about anticipating weather-related risks affecting conditions. This system covers all Italian territories with 50 centers nationwide."

Borrelli identified a missing step in Italy’s emergency and crisis management: the ability to communicate with citizens. He emphasized the need for a specialized center for citizen communication in the event of a major disaster or incident. He also noted that major events require dedicated teams to manage them to avoid crises, citing the example of Pope John Paul II’s funeral, which saw over three million attendees, requiring extensive resources, including fire trucks, police, and over 10,000 volunteers.

Smart Cities are Safer

Dr. Engineer Nasser Mohammed Al Saadi, Artificial Intelligence Advisor at Abu Dhabi Police, said: "Abu Dhabi is the second city in AI usage, and the UAE is the safest among 200 countries in using AI. My doctoral thesis was about using social media in crisis management and how to link computer science with the real world. Today, we are discussing not just complex network names and terms but the use of AI by Abu Dhabi Police in managing emergencies and integrating it with technology."

He pointed out that the UAE is among the first countries to adopt AI, with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, launching a strategy emphasizing AI's role in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. In this context, Abu Dhabi Police has adopted an AI strategy based on five strategies to support specialized operations and resources.

He noted that additional objectives were added to the comprehensive AI strategy for policing, using technology efficiently. Abu Dhabi is considered a smart city due to its extensive data managed by AI. Abu Dhabi Police is working on numerous AI projects to make Abu Dhabi a safe and smart city. Some projects are immediate for crisis and emergency management, while others are for future use. He stressed the importance of reducing losses in natural and man-made disasters using AI for data analysis before, during, and after incidents.

He called for utilizing advanced technological systems to build smarter future cities, investing more in sustainable cities, and raising awareness among individuals, citizens, and both the public and private sectors.

Regarding Abu Dhabi Police's AI projects, he said: "Abu Dhabi Police has developed several AI projects, including predictive policing that forecasts the best traffic and security scenarios to provide decision-makers with optimal human resource and patrol positioning based on analytical and historical data."

In the second workshop, Major General Michael Charlton-Wade, Director of International Resilience Training at the UK Cabinet Office, said: "There is no single solution for managing crises and disasters. Everyone must collaborate, and relying on technology is crucial. Building necessary resilience at entities and flexible plans for dealing with emergency conditions leads to directing efforts rather than undermining them and making correct decisions in a timely manner."

Anticipate future challenges in vital sectors and to support scientific research in the field of emergencies and crises