The Seminar took place in Lisbon on the 8th of October 2012 and was aimed at marking International Day for the Reduction of Catastrophes, instituted by the General Assembly of the United Nations. This meeting created awareness and promoted reflection on the topic of natural and technological disasters, respective forms of mitigation, taking into account the most resilient society which is capable of acting on catastrophic situations.

The President of the Ordem dos Psicólogos, Telmo Mourinho Baptista, discussed “The Role of Professional Orders in Collective Safety.” In this scope, the role of Psychology was presented in the production of knowledge and interventions in catastrophes, and also the role of the Ordem dos Psicólogos in the training of professionals and in the implementation of international projects, namely the RIPE Project. This process consists of the creation and implementation of an Iberoamerican Network of Emergency Psychology with the objective of promoting scientific and professional development in this area, in an international and Iberoamerican context. Next week, during the VIII Congress of the Iberoamerican Federation of Psychology Associations (FIAP), of which Portugal is an integral member, the founding minutes of the Iberoamerican Network of Emergency Psychology will be signed.