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CELAC SUMMIT URGES DEVELOPMENT OF A REGIONAL STRATEGIC AGENDA FOR INTEGRATED DISASTER RISK MANAGEMENT

II CELAC Summit, Havana, Cuba Photo: Cuba Inside the World

By UNISDR – The Americas

HAVANA, Cuba, February 3, 2014 – Heads of state and government from 33 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean present at the Second Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), called for the development of a Regional Strategic Agenda on Integrated Disaster Risk Management, which recognizes this theme as a process composed of actionsrelated to the estimation and reduction of risk, preparedness, humanitarian assistance and reconstruction.

This was clearly established in the Declaration produced by this regional meeting held recently in Havana, Cuba; and on whose section number twenty five specifies that this strategy should be framed in a Plan of Action coordinated and articulated between the local, national, sub-regional and regional entities.

The Summit was attended by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, who referred to the region's efforts to advance disaster preparedness and response, as well as to address obstacles such as "insecurity, inequality and injustice", factors affecting the persistence and increase of disaster risk.

The Declaration also calls for the strengthening of democracy and respect for human rights, as well as the promotion of a more inclusive society and more opportunities through a more equitable distribution of wealth and the reduction ofinequality in the region.

It also emphasizes the need for an increase in productivity of nations and trade, as well as increased promotion of sustainable local and cultural practices of indigenous peoples as a key element to achieving sustainable development.

Significantly, according to the Declaration, the CELAC has managed to build a space for dialogue and political consensus that unites and makes possible the aspiration of a joint effort between the countries of the region, while allowing better integration and projection of the region in the international arena.

During the event, participants ratified the joint will to strengthen this space of ​​effective political dialogue to identify points of convergence, common challenges and objectives that will advance the integration process of the region, and agreed that Costa Rica assume the Presidency Pro Tempore of CELAC during 2014 and until the Third Summit of CELAC in 2015, followed by the Republic of Ecuador during the2015-2016 period.

Related links:
Declaration of the Second Summit of CELAC, January 2014. (Spanish)