IHP has new chairmanship

The IHP is a membership organisation consisting of different governmental emergency related agencies situated in various countries. In this connection the chairmanship of IHP rotates. The last 1½ years the chair has rested with the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB). As of 1 July the chairmanship has been transferred to the Danish Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) where it will lie until 31 December 2011.

I have therefore taken over the chairmanship from Kjell Larsson, MSB. In this role and on behalf of IHP I would like to take the opportunity to thank Kjell for the extraordinary work he has done for IHP during his chairmanship, the latest being the coordination of IHP’s support to the UN through WFP in response to the Haiti earthquake this year. The way Kjell has managed his role as chairman has been in the spirit of representing all IHP organisations equally, promoting IHP, and taking leadership when necessary. Through this mode of work Kjell has managed to strengthen IHP both in response to requests and by making an even closer and equal cooperation between the IHP members.

I am committed to following this way of working. My background in connection with international operations as well as IHP is through UNDAC, working in OCHA for three years, working in the Red Cross/Crescent (Danish Red Cross and IFRC) for seven years, and with DEMA for 18 years while also having been engaged in IHP since its inception in 1995.

Having returned to DEMA in February this year and re-acquainting myself with IHP I can see the giant steps IHP has taken the last ten years thanks to the commitment and professionalism of the individual member organisations. I will do mine to help ensure that this carries on and where possible that it is strengthened. IHP will carry on developing according to the needs of the users and will ensure that capacity is available when needed. This capacity has been sort after more frequently and, in cases like Haiti, on a larger scale in recent years for which reason IHP is taking various initiatives such as the final negotiations with the German Technisches Hilfswerke (THW) in regard to membership. Such a membership expansion will not only bring additional resources to IHP, but just as important new experiences and lessons as well as further innovation. At the same time IHP is in contact with e.g. OCHA and WFP to ensure that IHP fulfils its partners’ requirements. And as has been the case through the years of IHP we will carry on our individual organisations’ development as well as enhancing intra-IHP cooperation, procedures and development, e.g. through the TRIPLEX exercise which through a table-top exercise in October this year will focus mainly on internal IHP procedures and decision making during alert, mobilization, deployment and operations.

Lastly, I am personally very pleased and honoured to be able to take on the chairmanship for IHP the next 1½ years. As mentioned earlier IHP has evolved leaps and bounds since 1995. I look forward to be part of its further development and thus help ensure that IHP can carry on providing support to the international community to provide the best possible assistance to people affected by emergencies around the world.

Flemming S. Nielsen

Chairman, IHP