The Secretary-General of the International Civil Defence Organization (ICDO), Mr. Arguj Kalantarli, met on 17 October 2025 with Mr. Ramesh Rajasingham, Head and Representative of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Geneva, and Director of the Coordination Division.

During the meeting, it was underlined that the objectives of ICDO and OCHA are complementary, particularly in protecting lives, strengthening civil defence systems, enhancing community resilience, and improving preparedness for emergencies. The discussion focused on practical areas of cooperation, including joint training programmes, information and expertise exchange, and coordination and mutual support during humanitarian operations.

The parties also discussed the enhancement of operational information-sharing procedures between emergency and crisis management mechanisms, as well as opportunities for expert and observer exchanges during real-time situations and international exercises.

It was further noted that, as a permanent observer organization to the United Nations General Assembly, ICDO could play a more active role in multilateral humanitarian platforms. In this context, closer engagement with OCHA and other UN entities in Geneva was viewed as an important step toward strengthening cooperation and coordination mechanisms.

Looking ahead, both sides exchanged views on future directions of collaboration, including the possible development of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as a framework for institutional partnership.

The meeting concluded with a shared understanding of the importance of strengthening international cooperation and coordination in the fields of civil defence and humanitarian action, and with an expression of intent to continue joint efforts in these areas.