International Seminar:
"Risk Management as a Factor for Sustainable Human Development"

On March 24-25, 2004 the international seminar on “Risk Management as a Factor for Sustainable Human Development” took place at the headquarters of ECLAC in Santiago, Chile. The event gathered specialists from America, Europe and the National System for Civil Protection in Chile. The opening session was led by the Minister of the Interior, who delivered a speech on “Sustainable Development and Risk Management”, stressing that the government of Chile has focused its risk management policies on reducing vulnerability at different levels, through an cross-cutting and integrated action for which the State has been the articulating body.

This seminar represented the main activity to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of ONEMI and drew on long-term vision analyses targeting multiple levels of society, in which aspects such as awareness, information and communication play a pivotal role. This includes the efficient and effective contributions from both science and technology, as well as from the existing political climate and the citizen’s commitment to risk management.

On Thursday March 25, after an open roundtable with national directors –who not only shared their specific experiences, but also developed a strategy for the future- this international event came to an end. Mr. Jorge Correa Sutil, Under-Secretary of the Interior, was in charge of the closing ceremony. He addressed the participants by reflecting on the title of this seminar, as a “wide and in-depth name for this working meeting, a modern and holistic way of looking at disaster-related issues... a title that, by itself, constitutes a vision for the future.”

For further information, please contact:
Carmen Fernández: pcivil@onemi.cl
Head of Civil Protection, ONEMI