György Leskó

The Hungarian Civil Protection Association (HCPA) is a public benefit organization consisting of voluntary members. The Association considers humanitarian participation its prominent task, in the event of natural and civilian disasters. In the active taking of measures, serving the protection of the stricken population and the material property, and especially in the information and preparation of the community, the education of the youth, the establishment and training of voluntary organizations, mental care, the distribution of aids and the support of voluntary actions. The Hungarian Civil Protection Association is a public benefit organization consisting of voluntary members. Our Association reorganized in 1991 as a successor of the Air Defence League which was established in 1937 and operated in the years of the Second World War until 1945 successfully. The Association considers humanitarian participation its prominent task, in the event of natural and civilian disasters, in the taking of measures coming under the ruling of international agreements (Additional Protocols I.-II. to the Geneva Conventions for the protection of war victims) on the protection of war victims. The Association acts for the representation of corporate interests, and this activity is part of exercising civilian control because of the civil protection tasks. The Association regards the regulations and objectives of the Geneva Conventions, the Fundamental Law of Hungary and the Act on Civil Protection and Disaster Management, and the direction of protection against emergencies as guiding principles. Our NGO supports the objectives of the EU Community Mechanism for Civil Protection. The HCPA has served aim of the Maastricht principles which, through the strengthening of decentralization, the cutback of the state central systems as necessary, and the increased involvement of the civilian society in public life and public activities, reduce the financial burdens of the state and the unnecessary bureaucracy, and makes public administration more democratic and flexible. The HCPA has a total of approx. five thousand members, the number of supporting members, is significantly higher. Association performs important public benefit activities. It regards as its main task continuous raising of general the current tasks of disaster management, including the current issues of protection against terrorism. For this, it regularly assumes, following its possibilities; on the World Civil Protection Day, organized every year, and at different local events. It reports annually on its work, on its public benefit activities to the General Assembly of the Association. HCPA has extended experience in working with disaster-prone areas across the country. HCPA is a member organization in the European Voluntary Civil Protection Forum (EVCPF), currently representing 23 voluntary organizations involved in civil protection from 16 European countries. EVCPF was founded upon the initiative of HCPA, and the organization is chairing the forum. The basic aim of EVCPF is to organize the exchange of experiences related to the implementation of voluntary civil protection tasks connecting to the preparation for and management of disasters and to the reduction of the consequences. For this, ECPF has established (amongst others) "Regional Partnership Cooperation '' (RPC) with the voluntary civil protection organizations of the West-ern-Balkan States.  The main voluntary missions of Hungarian Civil Protection Association are the following: population protection, disaster management, flood protection, urban search and rescue, voluntary rescue organization development, voluntary education and training, emergency operation planning, international humanitarian assistant, emergency supply.