More than 40 NRC professionals are currently gathered for emergency training in Dubai. Amongst them are fresh recruits to the newly established NORASIA standby roster, now ready for deployment to emergencies in their region and around the world.

Dubai: "The Norwegian Refugee Council manages one of the world's largest rosters of emergency standby personnel. Rosters already exist for Norway, Africa and The Middle East. More than 900 persons are ready for deployment to humanitarian operations around the world at 72 hours notice. NORASIA is the latest addition to the NRC Emergency Standby Rosters, and will be a valuable resource for agencies working in emergencies and conflict situations in the region" says Benedicte Giæver, NRC Director Emergency Response. The purpose of the emergency rosters is primarily to strengthen UN organizations' personnel capacity in humanitarian operations, but other humanitarian partners may also draw from the rosters. The regional rosters provide highly skilled professionals, with a wide range of backgrounds and local knowledge, to humanitarian operations at short notice. "It is extremely important to ensure diversity amongst the professionals we deploy to humanitarian operations. People on the NORASIA roster represent a variety of cultures, and a broad range of professions, including education, logistics, ICT, protection and coordination. Many speak languages that are in demand in the humanitarian system, such as French and Arabic. Most importantly, they have insight knowledge about their region. This diversity is an invaluable asset in a humanitarian operation", says Giæver. The members of the NRC Emergency Standby Rosters have been recruited through UN, NGO and academic networks and public advertisement, and have been through several rounds of tests and interviews. In Pakistan, 500 people applied for a place in the NORASIA force -only 20 made it onto the roster. One them was ICT specialist Khashif Rehman from Islamabad. "This is a unique. My field is ICT, but I have a strong interest in humanitarian work and in other countries. I have previously worked for UNDP and the UN Mission in Timor Leste and with the UNESCO Earthquake Response Programme in Pakistan. I see this as an opportunity to serve in crises elsewhere, in for example Africa", says Rehman, who also commends the NRC training.

"Here, I get a chance to learn from people in very different professions, and about other countries. This will make me a better team member the day I am deployed", says Rehman.

Contact: Benedicte Giæver, NRC Director Emergency Response, tel: +47 90550121 Eli Wærum Rognerud, NRC Press Adviser, tel: +47 91843142

For more information, see: http://www.nrc.no/?aid=9167121