Government, European Union, and Pacific Community Launch Project to Strengthen Resilience to Natural Disasters
On February 29th, 2024, the Government, through the Ministry of the Interior and the Secretariat of State for Civil Protection and the Civil Protection Authority (APC – acronym in Portuguese), in partnership with the European Union (EU) and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, officially launched the implementation of the second phase of the "Building Security and Resilience in the Pacific (BSRP II)" project in Timor-Leste. 
The ceremony took place at the Civil Protection Authority's premises in Caicoli, Dili, and was attended by the Secretary of State for Civil Protection, Domingos Mariano Reis, the Deputy Head of Mission of the EU, Christoph Sorg, and the Deputy Director General for Science and Capacity Building of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, Paula Vivili, among other relevant speakers.
This important initiative aims to strengthen resilience and disaster preparedness across the Pacific region, demonstrating a unified commitment to protecting communities from the unpredictable challenges of natural disasters and climate change. 
The BSRP II project, funded by the EU under the 11th European Development Fund, with around US$ 595,000 earmarked for Timor-Leste, represents a continuation of the efforts initiated by its predecessor to mitigate the impacts of disasters in the region. This collaborative project involves agencies from 15 Pacific Island countries (PIC), representing a comprehensive approach under the African, Caribbean and Pacific Natural Disaster Risk Reduction Program (NDRRP).
At the launch ceremony, Secretary of State Domingos Mariano Reis said, “Following the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on January 4th, 2024, we are fully committed to successfully implementing the BSRP II project”.
The Secretary of State for Civil Protection said, “This initiative is crucial to strengthening our disaster risk management, building multi-sectoral resilience, and ensuring inclusive participation in our efforts to combat the effects of disasters and climate change”.
The Memorandum of Understanding signed between representatives of the Civil Protection Authority, led by Superintendent Ismail da Costa Babo, and the Pacific Community, represented by the Deputy Director General for Science and Capacity Building, Paula Vivili, sets out the objectives of the project, including improving disaster risk management in Timor-Leste, strengthening multi-sectoral resilience and preparedness for effective response and recovery, and promoting inclusive participation in project design, implementation and evaluation.
The European Union representative in Timor-Leste, Deputy Head of Mission Christoph Sorg, said, “The BSRP II project represents our collective beacon of hope and resilience, aimed at strengthening our disaster preparedness and response”.
