While FEMA’s mission is domestic, the agency actively engages with the international emergency management community by managing international response to disasters in the United States, building global capacities by providing technical assistance and training, and identifying and sharing best practices and lessons learned from around the globe.
FEMA’s FY2016-2018 international strategy seeks to improve domestic and international resilience by focusing on the following five priorities:
PRIORITY 1: Build Resilience Across the NATO Alliance to Prevent Destabilization
FEMA will provide robust technical assistance to NATO - in support of the U.S. Mission - to encourage nations to make investments, on their own and collectively, to build resilience by enhancing capability and interoperability; mitigating risks; and reducing vulnerabilities to all threats and hazards.
PRIORITY 2: Support Resolution of International Issues during Domestic Disasters
Implementation of the revised International Assistance System Concept of Operations (IAS CONOPS), will enhance FEMA’s capacity to respond to offers of international assistance from during domestic disasters, and at the same time will identify gaps in catastrophic disaster planning and readiness.
PRIORITY 3: Promote Sharing of Lessons Learned and Expertise
FEMA will pursue international engagement with critical US allies, security partners, and multilateral organizations to enhance emergency management capabilities.
PRIORITY 4: Strengthen Disaster Planning Across Our Borders
Through Memorandums of Understanding signed by the Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security, and through its support of state and provincial collaborative structures, FEMA will bolster bilateral and trilateral capabilities to respond to catastrophic events along our borders.
PRIORITY 5: Enhance Agency Learning and Continuous Improvement
FEMA will use established and innovative means to share international lessons learned throughout the Agency, identify engagement based on analytic data, and streamline procedures for administrative processes.
Supporting Domestic Disaster Response and Preparedness
FEMA manages the International Assistance System, the U.S. government mechanism for accepting offers of international disaster assistance, or, if needed, requesting international disaster assistance, following a Stafford Act Declaration. To enhance national readiness, FEMA sponsors Consular Disaster Readiness Roundtables nationwide, building partnerships with the foreign consular corps to reach millions of visitors, guests and residents from abroad to provide critical preparedness information
Supporting Global Emergency Management Capacity Building
Through bilateral agreements and presidential directives, FEMA collaborates closely with many countries, particularly our neighboring countries of Canada and Mexico, and multilateral organizations such as NATO to exchange technical assistance, training and education in a wide array of emergency management topics. Whether hosting international visitors to FEMA offices, facilities or activities, or providing on-line, on-campus or remote training through its training centers, or providing FEMA subject matter experts to participate globally in exercises, workshops, etc., FEMA is in the forefront of building a global professional emergency management community.
Supporting Global Emergency Management Best Practices and Lessons Learned
Through its international engagement, FEMA constantly seeks ways to enhance its ability to respond to the disaster-related needs of the American people. It sponsors annual International Lessons Learned workshops that tackle the real-world issues countries confront in dealing with a wide variety of hazards. As best practices are identified, they are shared through newletters and workshops with both domestic and foreign audiences. Through transparent sharing of hard lessons learned in real-world events and in exercises, FEMA promotes the global exchange of such important ideas and concepts.
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