Chile incorporates the national chapter of the Private Sector Alliance for Disaster Resilient Societies (ARISE)

PANAMA CITY, Panama; 16 December, 2016 – The Crisis Management and Organizational Resilience Service (SeCRO), an initiative promoted by Fundación Telefónica, Transbank, Aguas Andinas and five other leading companies in responsibility and sustainability, is the new Focal Point in Chile for the Private Sector Partnership for Disaster Resilient Societies (ARISE).

ARISE is an initiative for and by the private sector that promotes the integration of disaster risk reduction into private investment planning, as well as more resilient short- and long-term investments, which has found a strategic partner in SeCRO in an effort to consolidate resilient sustainable development driven from the public and private sectors in Chile, and in line with the expected goals and results set out in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030.

According to Juan Luis Quer Cumsille, Director of SeCRO, "the companies view ARISE as an excellent bidirectional platform that on the one hand can import applicable experiences to Chile and on the other hand share the experience developed in Chile which may be of use to other countries.

At the same time, SeCRO values the efforts of companies to prepare themselves for potential crises by promoting cross learning. That is, companies learn from the experiences they themselves explain to the group, in addition to the new concepts we introduce.”

The national chapters of ARISE aim to strengthen the joint capacities of the initiative, to promote commitments and opportunities directly related to the territorial context and to promote new accessions among key actors for disaster risk reduction at the national level.

The consolidation of the National Chapter of ARISE in Chile, in addition to the newly formed Chapters of Peru and Colombia, and the participation of the voluntary group of more than 140 companies and organizations around the world that, since 2015, have worked with UNDRR to promote a positive impact for sustainable development at the local level, reinforces the key role of the private sector in strengthening resilience as a pillar to achieve sustainable development in all countries and territories of the Americas.

The launch of ARISE in Chile took place within the framework of the "V Regional Meeting on Public-Private Partnerships for Disaster Risk Reduction in Latin America and the Caribbean", organized by the Permanent Secretariat of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA), The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the National Emergency Office (ONEMI) of the Ministry of Interior and Public Security of Chile, with the support of the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance - United States Agency for International Development (USAID/OFDA).

About the Crisis Management and Organizational Resilience Service (SeCRO)

SeCRO is an initiative promoted by the Cerdà Institute, made up of eight companies that work permanently to improve the level of preparation (individual and collective) in the face of crises to anticipate, prevent and minimize the consequences of crises.

SeCRO's mission is to become a leading player in the area of ​​resilience in order to work on those aspects of risk management, natural disasters, crises and emergencies in which company-company and government-company collaboration are key.

For more information, visit SeCRO.

About ARISE

ARISE encourages proactive private sector action to prevent damage to its assets and the establishment of business opportunities related to the integral management of disaster risk, in line with the provisions of the Sendai Framework, with a particular emphasis on the role of the private sector in its successful implementation. In fact, it is estimated that on average and worldwide, 70% of future investments will come from the private sector.

ARISE provides for seven lines of action and a trust fund for the private sector to implement tangible projects and initiatives that deliver essential results for a significant reduction in disaster losses. Projects can be implemented around the world through collaborative work with national and subnational authorities and thus contribute effectively to sustainable development.

For more information visit UNDRR and the private sector.