On 20 March 2012 the PPRD South National Correspondents gathered in Rome for their 8th meeting to report and discuss on the below activities, which took place during the last five months of the PPRD South I Programme:
The presentation on the results of the PPRD South I communication test on how to activate the European Mechanism of Civil Protection in case of a Tsunami , which was done on 11 December 2012 has allowed to draw lessons learned for future simulation exercise. First of all, the test showed the importance of having clearer roles and procedures at national at international level to ensure smoother and more targeted delivery of alert messages.
The illustration of the results of the technical assistance action in Tunisia of 5-7 March 2013, on the development of the national civil protection operational room, has opened the way for the Moroccan and Algerian National Correspondents to invite the Tunisian Deputy General Director to visit respectively the new national operational room of the Moroccan Civil Protection and the geographical information sector of the Algerian Civil Protection. The Algerian National Correspondent and the French PPRD South Co-Director also invited the Tunisian National Correspondent to use, through them, the International Charter "Space and Major Disasters" to get updated satellite pictures of the country.
The illustration of the activities and results of the study visit to Israel of 26-28 February 2013 by four key officers of the Albanian Civil Protection allowed underlining the importance of the technical exchanges as gateways to regional dialogue. The presentation of the achievements by the Egyptian Civil Protection during the National Correspondents meeting in the field of inter-institutional risk information exchange stressed the necessity of continuous cooperation to underpin the sustainability of national efforts.
Finally the review of the outcomes of the regional workshop on environmental emergencies reconfirmed the importance of establishing cooperation actions with other international disaster risk management players so as to increase the value and the effectiveness of complementary initiatives.
By taking the three-hour eLearning module “Beyond Response: Better Preparedness for Environmental Emergencies”, disaster risk experts will get an overview on the environmental emergency response process and on the tools for assessing environmental risks, contingency planning, and preparing for emergencies. The module also details existing international response mechanisms. 
On 5-7 March 2013, three experts in design and management of the civil protection operational rooms from Algeria, France and Italy met in Tunis with officers of the national Civil Protection to identify and propose possible developments of the civil protection operational room in view to improve disaster management in the country. 
During the first day in Tunis the three experts presented the information management facilities available in their national central operational rooms: which information is used to support decision making, how this information is produced, how decisions are transmitted through the command chain and how their implementation is followed up. Following the illustration of the operational context of the Tunisian Civil Protection, the Tunisian and international experts discussed the aspects of the operational room which require improvement and tried to figure out new tools and facilities which could trigger rapid advances.
The important achievements by the Israeli Home Front Command in increasing disaster awareness among children and preparing them to adopt protective behaviors in case of threat were the main focus of a PPRD South study visit to Israel involving the top management of the Albanian Civil Protection. 
"The Arab Spring and Climate Change" is a new publication by the Center for American Progress, the Center for Climate & Security, and the Stimson Center which outlines the complex pressures exerted by the effects of climate change on the unrest which swept through the Middle East in 2010 and 2011. The publication explores the long-term trends in precipitation, agriculture, food prices, and migration and indicates how they contributed to the social instability and violence which has transformed the region. It also offers possible solution for a “sustainable spring”.
