Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency

The Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency[1] (Turkish: Afet ve Acil Durum Yönetimi Başkanlığı, also abbreviated as AFAD) was established in 2009 in Turkey to take necessary measures for effective emergency management and civil protection nationwide in Turkey. The presidency conducts pre-incident work, such as preparedness, mitigation and risk management, during-incident work such as response, and post-incident work such as recovery and reconstruction. AFAD reports to the Turkish Ministry of Interior.

Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency
Afet ve Acil Durum Yönetimi Başkanlığı (AFAD)
Agency overview
Formed2009
JurisdictionGovernment of Turkey
HeadquartersDumlupinar Bulvari No. 159 / Çankaya / Ankara
Annual budget₺993.414.000
Agency executive
  • Disaster and Emergency Management Director-General, Dr. Mehmet Güllüoglu
Websitewww.afad.gov.tr

Amongst the Governmental, NGO and private institutions, the presidency provides coordination, formulates policies and implements policies.

In a disaster and emergency, the AFAD is the sole responsible organization.

History

Two consecutive major earthquakes in 1999, the 1999 İzmit earthquake and the 1999 Düzce earthquake, became the turning point in disaster management in Turkey. These earthquakes put pre-disaster planning and preparation on the agenda of the government and the general population of the country.

At that time, Turkey's Disaster Management System was mainly focused on the post-disaster period, and there were no incentives or legislation to encourage risk analysis or risk reduction approaches before earthquakes occur. Both the academic and the technical authorities agreed that the country had a pressing need to develop pre-disaster precautions, and that would require both updated legislation and administrative restructuring.

By the Act No. 5902 dated May 29, 2009 and Establishment of Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency; General Directorate of Turkey Emergency Management under Prime Ministry, General Directorate of Civil Defence under Ministry of Interior, General Directorate of Disaster Affairs under Ministry of Public Works and Settlement were closed. Three core institutions have unified under a single independent authority with the act adopted by the Parliament and entered into force in June, 2009.

The new institution was named Afet ve Acil Durum Yönetimi Başkanlığı (Prime Ministry Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency) or AFAD.


Councils
  • Disaster and Emergency Supreme Council
  • Disaster and Emergency Coordination Committee
  • Earthquake Advisory Council


Service units
  • Planning and Harm Reduction Department
  • Intervention Department
  • Improvement Department
  • Civil Defense Department
  • Earthquake Department Directorate
  • Personnel and Support Services Department
  • Information Systems and Communication Department
  • Strategy Development Department
  • Volunteer and Donor Relations Department
  • Foreign Affairs and International Humanitarian Aid Department
  • Education Department


№ Director Beginning of Duty Completion of Task
1 Mehmet Ersoy 2 January 2010 9 March 2011
2 İbrahim Ejder Kaya (vekil) 10 March 2011 2 January 2012
3 Dr. Fuat Oktay 2 January 2012 18 June 2016
4 Mehmet Halis Bilden 29 June 2016 5 August 2017
5 Dr. Mehmet Güllüoğlu 5 August 2017 in charge

Kilis refugee camp

The Killis refugee camp, run by the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency, featured in a 13 February 2014 article in the New York Times titled "How to Build a Perfect Refugee Camp". The camp is staffed by Turkish government employees, rather than by NGOs. It is hoped that the 14,000 refugees of the Syrian Civil War benefiting from the clean, well organized facility will eventually "go home and become grand ambassadors of Turkey."[2]


References
  1. AFAD's website in English Archived November 26, 2011, at the Wayback Machine reviewed in 10.11.2011
  2. McClelland, Mac (2014-02-13). "How to Build a Perfect Refugee Camp". New York Times. Retrieved 2014-06-09.


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