In coordination with the Palestinian Academy for Security Sciences (PASS) and a number of institutions in Jericho, a workshop on strategic planning for disaster reduction was held on the 15^th February 2010 at the Academy. A number of ministries and institutions representatives attended the event including Dr. Hazem Al-Hroub, from the Academy who welcomed the attendance and emphasized the importance of awareness programs to reduce disaster hazards. Representative of the Civil Defense Department, Ammar Salameh, also spoke about the mechanism through which the Civil Defense and its divisions work in response to disasters.

In the workshop, Dr. Jalal Dabeek, Director of the Earth Sciences and Seismic Engineering Center at An Najah, and the Vice President of the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Body, delivered two lectures on strategic planning for disaster reduction. The lectures covered topics such as: disasters, their types, differences between these types, relationship between emergency and disasters, actors in disaster management, strategic planning and the standards and objectives of the national plans for disaster management. Other topics also included: characteristics of the disaster reduction plan, risk assessment, the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction UN-ISDR, Hyogo Framework for action (building the resilience of nations and communities to disasters 2005-2015). Dr. Dabeek's lectures also covered risk assessment elements (Hazard, Vulnerability, and Capacity), as well as reviewing the seismic risk in Palestine, its possible occurrence and the likelihood of buildings to be affected by earthquakes.

He further discussed the readiness of buildings in Palestine to withstand earthquakes, risk maps, and earthquakes scenarios (expected disasters) which have been applied to some Palestinian cities.