INSARAG Lessons Learned Meeting following the earthquakes of Iran/Bam and Morocco - Hammamet, Tunisia, 27 April 2004

The meeting was opened by the INSARAG Chairman, Mr. Toni Frisch after introductory remarks from the Tunisian Government, the Governments of Iran and Morocco and OCHA. 91 participants from 34 countries and organisations participated in the meeting.

The meeting began with a review of the results of the INSARAG Lessons Learned meeting following the Algerian earthquake of May 2003, which was held in Geneva, Switzerland n October 2003. The purpose of the revision of previous lessons learned was to provide the context for the meeting to build on previous experience and complement recommendations for improvement where necessary.

The meeting was structured in short presentations about each phase of the international USAR response operation and provided opportunity for participants to discuss lessons learned and make recommendations for improvement in each of the phases. The following response phases covered in the meeting:

• Early warning, mobilisation and deployment
• On-site USAR coordination
• USAR operational issues and application of the INSARAG Guidelines

Role of other international responders and their interface with USAR teams