The International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) installed on Tuesday Khaled Al Mansoori as President of the IAEM International Council and a member of the IAEM-Global Board of Directors at the 2010 IAEM Asia-Oceania Resilience Conference, held in Singapore.
Mansoori works at the national level in the UAE, where he is head of Media Emergency and Crisis Management, UAE National Emergency and Crisis Management Authority (NCEMA).
In a recent letter to NCEMA General Manager, Mohamed Khalfan Al Romaithi, IAEM's Global Board Chairman Rick Cox, CEM, wrote, "Congratulations to Khaled Al Mansoori for being elected as the president of IAEM's International Council. This is the first time a director has been elected to the IAEM-Global Board from the Middle East."
According to Cox, Mansoori will "represent a variety of interests and his coordination role can help raise the visibility of NCEMA around the world. It can also help raise the profile of the UAE's emergency readiness and resiliency projects."
After his election, Mansoori said, "I plan to work closely with professional emergency managers from many countries to find new ways to enhance international cooperation in responding to the impacts of disasters, crises, and emergencies."
His goals include increasing membership in the IAEM International Council, with special emphasis on the GCC countries, building a better understanding of the key principles of emergency management especially in nations with limited resources, and helping to promote disaster resilience in regions that are most prone to major catastrophes.
Mansoori, who previously represented the UAE as its IAEM National Representative, also said that he hopes to convene the first International Council Meeting early next year in the UAE. "I am looking forward to inviting my international colleagues to visit the UAE in 2011 to show them the excellent work being done at NCEMA and to develop a series of priorities for cooperating as a Council to deal with disasters and crises around the world," he said.
The International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM), which has more than 5,000 members in 58 countries, is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to promoting the goals of saving lives and protecting property during emergencies and disasters.