The "Disaster preparedness makes the difference" Regional Workshop brings together 3 subregions from the Americas to focus on resilience

By: UNDRR – The Americas

CARTAGENA, Colombia 18 of June 2018  – With the objective of illustrating how some preventative actions can make a difference in disaster response and recovery, the Regional Workshop titled "Disaster preparedness makes the difference: Contributions from ECHO and its partners to the strategies in the Latin America and Caribbean region" will be held on the 18th and 19th of June 2018, in the city of Cartagena, Colombia.

The workshop will be organised by the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) agency and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), along with partners from the European Commission Disaster Preparation Program in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). This workshop will take place ahead of the VI Regional Platform for Disaster Risk reduction, which will be held in Cartagena, Colombia, between the 20th and the 22nd of June, 2018.

The workshop will bring together representatives of the three subregions: Central America, South America and the Caribbean.  This event will count with the participation of key actors for disaster preparation and assistance in Latin America and the Caribbean, national disaster risk management systems in the region, inter-governmental organizations in the area of disaster risk management, current partners of the European Commission and other strategic partners including international, regional and subregional organizations, United Nations agencies, multilateral organizations and the bilateral cooperation agencies that work in this area. Participants will exchange their views, experiences, knowledge and ideas about how investments in disaster preparedness make a difference.

The European Commission, through the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) agency, has supported the Latin America and Caribbean region since 1994. During these years, ECHO through its Disaster Preparation Program (DIPECHO), has invested a total of 224 million euros in the region in 34 countries through more than 520 projects, reaching 13 million people from Latin America and the Caribbean with the participation and involvement of a diverse range of organizations and partners.

The workshop will promote an evidence-based approach that illustrates how disaster preparedness makes a difference. For this reason, the workshop will not be focused on presenting projects financed by ECHO. Instead, evidences and expected results for the next 18 months will be shared with those attending. A total of 34 successful experiences will be presented. At the same time, this workshop will facilitate spaces to present priorities for each subregion, which will guide contributions from international cooperation.

This event will count with the participation of: inter-government agencies such as CDEMA, CEPREDENAC, CAPRADE, REMAGIR and GTANGRD; national authorities, national disaster risk management and disaster risk reduction systems established in the countries in the region; ECHO's partners at the national, subregional (South America, Central America and the Caribbean) and regional levels (LAC) and their local partners; representatives of international, multilateral and national international cooperation agencies in the region (donors); sectoral representatives and stakeholders of DG-ECHO, representing EU Delegations in Latin America and the Caribbean; and representatives of other European Commission agencies.

Additional links:

"Disaster preparedness makes the difference: Contributions from ECHO and its partners to the strategies in the Latin America and Caribbean region"

Website for the 6th Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction.