Efforts to build resilience to disasters were the focus of a conference held by the European Committee of the Regions and the administration of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie region on 22 May at the Marshal's Office in Toruń. During this event, Paweł Grzybowski – a Member of the ECR Group and Mayor of Rypin – and Rosalind Cook of the United Nations signed a document formalising Rypin's accession to the UN's disaster readiness campaign.

Citizens' dialogues are an essential feature of the "Reflecting on Europe" campaign launched by the European Committee of the Regions. The "Citizens' dialogue: building resilience to disasters" conference held in Toruń aimed to examine the new United Nations framework for disaster risk reduction, and the new European system in this field, from a local and regional perspective.

Mayor Paweł Grzybowski emphasised that the venue and subject of the meeting were not coincidental. "In August last year our region was hit by a powerful storm, which caused considerable damage. We asked the European Commission for help from the EU Solidarity Fund in covering part of the cost and we greatly appreciate the assistance received. At the same time, by holding conferences such as today's, we want to show that, while receiving outside help, we are also making every effort to be as well prepared for disasters as possible."

The topic of the Toruń citizens' dialogue is linked to the fact that Rypin and the Kujawsko-Pomorskie region have been awarded certification by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) as part of their "Making Cities Resilient" campaign. This campaign aims to help improve disaster response – including by means of education and investment in adequate safeguards and by collaborating with partners, with the main focus being on the exchange of knowledge and experience.  Rypin is one of the first towns in the region to join this undertaking. 

"I view Rypin's accession to the UN campaign to build resilient cities as an obligation towards our residents: as a local authority, we are making every effort to constantly improve our capacities in terms of preventing and mitigating the effects of natural disasters. For this to be fully possible, we need the support of residents, NGOs, the uniformed services and academia, as well as national authorities and international organisations such as the EU and the UN," concluded Mr Grzybowski.

Representatives of local authorities, the security services, the scientific community and regional institutions, as well as the scouts, took part in the conference.

The meeting also heard about the activities of the "Salutaris" local government association, which was set up on the initiative of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie region. This association of local authorities, which has been operational for five years, has a solidarity fund – a resource that provides rapid, one-off, financial aid to municipalities and counties affected by disasters. The organisation currently includes 54 local authorities from the region, and the provincial authority.

Members of the ECR Group have been actively involved for many years in the work of the European Committee of the Regions to improve emergency disaster response. Mr Adam Banaszak (Vice-President of Poland's Kujawsko-Pomorskie Regional Assembly) is the rapporteur of the European Committee of the Regions for the review of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.