Deployment of a member of the CGDIS Humanitarian Intervention Team to the disaster area in Turkey

This evening, the first member of the Humanitarian Intervention Team (HIT) of the Corps grand-ducal d'incendie et de secours (CGDIS), an expert in information and communication technologies, will leave on a humanitarian mission to the earthquake zone in Turkey. Within the framework of the International Humanitarian Partnership (IHP) network of which CGDIS is a member, this expert provides ICT support to the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) emergency response team. These teams, which are deployed in the first phase of an emergency, assess international relief needs and coordinate local support and relief efforts.

The HIT intervenes outside the territory of Luxembourg in the event of very serious disasters, either on behalf of the government or at the request of the country or countries concerned, or as part of international assistance. UNDAC teams are managed by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), a long-standing partner of the Luxembourg Cooperation, and are deployed at short notice around the world to help coordinate the international humanitarian response and conduct rapid assessments.

Together with the CGDIS expert, a first deployment of the mobile satellite telecommunications platform "emergency.lu" will be made to support the restoration of telecommunications services in the region.

emergency.lu is a mobile satellite communications platform whose primary objective is to restore communications (Internet, voice) after a disaster, to support the coordination efforts of humanitarian organisations in the field and thus contribute to saving lives in humanitarian emergencies. It is a public-private partnership between the Luxembourg government and three Luxembourg companies (SES Telecom Services, Hitec Luxembourg and Luxembourg Air Ambulance SA). Luxembourg provides emergency.lu services as a free global public good to the humanitarian community. The same services are offered to the population and governments of the affected countries.

Press release by the Ministry of Home Affairs / Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs / Corps grand-ducal d'incendie et de secours (CGDIS)