From May 12–15, 2025, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) organized a Regional Seminar on Capacity Building for Disaster Risk Reduction through the National Forest Fire Information System (NFFIS) and Ecosystem-based Solutions (Eco-DRR) in Vermice, Kosovo*. The event brought together participants from Montenegro, Kosovo*, Albania, North Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, providing a platform for knowledge exchange and regional collaboration in disaster risk management.
During the seminar, Kosovo* and Montenegro shared achievements from the past four years in disaster risk reduction, while Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina highlighted their progress and ongoing challenges in implementing similar initiatives. The discussions encouraged a valuable exchange of experiences, ideas, and best practices across the region.
Participants also visited Resteli, where they observed the avalanche prevention forest developed under the project, demonstrating a tangible example of Eco-DRR in action.
The seminar featured a session on “Related Ongoing Projects in the Western Balkans”, where Marija Sterjovska, representing the SDC-funded Landscape Fire Management in the Western Balkans (LFMWB) Programme, coordinated by Farmahem, presented the programme’s objectives, achievements, and challenges, linking regional efforts in landscape fire management and ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction.
The event reinforced the importance of cross-border collaboration and innovation in strengthening disaster resilience across the Western Balkans.