OEA establishes Institutional Policy on Disaster Risk Management

"Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction and Adaptation to Climate Change" the policy paper in which OAS´s Institutional Policy on Disaster Risk Management was based on Photo Cred: Courtesy of OAS

By: UNDRR – The Americas.

PANAMA CITY, Panama, August 19th of 2016 – In order to institutionally incorporate the topic of disaster risk reduction in all its ministries, departments, agencies and offices, the Organization of American States (OAS) adopted the "Institutional Management Policy Disaster Risk" in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 which reinforces OAS commitment to strengthening resilience as a key element in their development agenda of 2030.

The OAS is the first intergovernmental organization in the Americas to adopt a policy of this nature, aimed towards disaster risk reduction and adaptation to change, a topic that is particularly relevant in the Americas, which is one of the continents that is most vulnerable and exposed in the face of natural threats, while also containing a high urban concentration among developing regions, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean; which affects the concentration of risk as a challenge for the compliance of the Sustainable Development Goals.

This unprecedented policy defines disaster risk reduction as an integral factor in their programs and development projects and has consequently, the objective to undertake the necessary actions of information and training for its implementation in all ministries, organs, departments and offices of the OAS, including the Executive Secretariat for Integral Development (SEDI), through the inclusion of the chapter on "Special Considerations" addressing how integrated disaster risk management will focus on each and every one of projects designed by the organization, which requires that all units provide key information about their work SEDI regarding reduction, prevention and mitigation of disasters.

It is worth noting the affinity of the Policy with the Sendai Framework, which calls for the strengthening and good governance as well as the coordination of relevant institutions and sectors in order to improve international cooperation among developing countries as well as between States and international organizations. It also supports the need to act with a focus on disaster risk reduction "more people-centered, more preventative and more comprehensive".

In the formulation of the Institutional Policy for Disaster Risk Management, the OAS noted that good governance for disaster risk reduction can only be achieved through strong democratic institutions and governance of human rights for all.

Related links:

Institutional Policy on Disaster Risk Management  

Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction and Adaptation to Climate Change

Sendai Framework

 

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