Event highlights
From 29 September to 17 October 2025, with financial support from the WHO Health Emergencies Hub for the South Caucasus, Georgia’s emergency medical team (EMT) roster members took part in a 120-hour training programme. The training, which covered standard operating procedures and included a field simulation exercise, aimed to prepare a pool of specialists for deployment, with an emphasis on the mechanisms of humanitarian aid and civil protection. Participants learned about international best practices, as well as the logistical, medical and psychological aspects essential for the effective management and deployment of the EMT.
The South Caucasus subregion, comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, is prone to a wide range of emergencies, including natural, man-made and infectious hazards. Establishing an accredited EMT in Georgia greatly enhances the country’s ability to respond effectively to health emergencies, reduces dependency on external aid and contributes to regional preparedness. Moreover, a Georgian EMT can serve as a regional asset, promoting collaboration, knowledge sharing and rapid response capabilities across the South Caucasus subregion, thereby reinforcing collective health security and resilience.
By the end of 2025, Georgia aims to complete the final step of the verification process set forth by WHO to ensure that the national EMT meets international standards for deployment in emergencies and disasters. The Georgian EMT – a Type 1 Fixed team specializing in outpatient emergency medical care – has been actively engaged in this process since 2019, when a government decision was taken to develop an internationally verified EMT. WHO has been providing technical guidance along the way in close collaboration with the WHO Country Office in Georgia, the Health Emergencies Hub for the South Caucasus and the WHO Regional Office for Europe. Mentors appointed by WHO have been assisting in Georgia’s EMT development process from its earliest stages, providing technical guidance and oversight. The mentors are themselves tenured members of international EMTs, with years of experience in emergency deployments.
The overarching objective of all activities, including this most recent programme, is to develop a fully trained, self-sustaining and internationally classified Georgian EMT, capable of rapid deployment both nationally and internationally, in line with WHO’s global EMT initiative, to support emergency response.
“Dedicated WHO support throughout the national EMT development process has been invaluable for Georgia and it would not have been possible to progress to where we are today without this support,” says Amiran Gogitidze, Georgia’s EMT focal point, Head of Medical Department at the Emergency Situations Coordination and Urgent Assistance Center.