PANAMA, Panama, February 28, 2016 - The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), through its Regional Office for the Americas, is pleased to report that Jose Emilio Morales, producer and protagonist of the video "Disaster Risk Reduction Chile," has been selected as winner of the "Youth and Disaster Risk Reduction" Video-Challenge carried out at the continental level between 3 January 3 and 15 February, 2017.

In recognition of the ability of young people to offer new perspectives on the discussion of policies that have an impact on their environment, UNISDR promoted this unprecedented challenge among young people from 18 to 34 years of age, which consisted of producing a short video demonstrating how to do more to reduce disaster risk in their communities.

After receiving the news that he was named the winner of the challenge and received UNISDR's invitation to travel to Canada to present his video at the Fifth Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas (RP17), Jose Emilio Morales said: "I am very grateful for the recognition and Invitation to participate in such an important event. The work was done with great respect and concern for disaster risk reduction, so I hope to succesfully present the fundamentals developed in the video."

The video "Disaster Risk Reduction Chile" reviews the main natural hazards that affect Chile while proposing specific actions based on the collaboration between different sectors to strengthen resilience at the local level.

After evaluating more than 50 Video-Challenge participants from different countries from young change agents in the American continent, the winning video was selected for its call to action, relevance, creativity and quality, as well as its reach on the social networks, as established in the contest rules.

It should be noted that while the challenge included a single prize for the winning video, Misael Fuentes of Mexico, winner of the second place for his video "Agent of Change Mx", was also invited to participate in RP17, thanks to the support of the government of Canada.

Finally, the young women Ana Maria Perez and Alejandra Chica from Colombia, producers of the video "Our Risk Reduction", received a special mention for the third place from the Head of the Regional Office for the Americas of UNISDR, Ricardo Mena. An official letter stated: "In addition to congratulating you for the excellent creativity and quality in the realization of your video, I urge you to continue to promote disaster risk reduction and resilience in their community as a vehicle for sustainable development in the region. Without a doubt, you have made a significant contribution with the message expressed in your video."

"Youth and Disaster Risk Reduction" Video-Challenge

The Video-Challenge aimed to raise awareness of the importance of disaster risk reduction through the eyes of young people in the region and awakened the creativity of young people on the American continent, from Canada to Chile, who used this means of communication to answer the following question: How would you improve disaster risk reduction in your community?

The promotion of the Video-Challenge was carried out mainly through social networks with the hashtags #BeADRRChangeAgent and #SendaiAmericas, and had the invaluable support of various institutions from the public and private sectors, international organizations, civil society organizations and the general public in its diffusion and scope, even receiving proposals from Asia.

Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas (RP17)

The RP17 will be held in Montreal, Canada, from 7 to 9 March with the participation of around 1,000 delegates from 33 of the 35 countries in the region. Among the expected results of the meeting is the adoption of an Action Plan for the implementation in the Americas of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 adopted by Member States of the United Nations.

During RP17, progress will be made on building resilience and disaster risk reduction at the local, national and regional levels, since the adoption of the Framework in 2015, and is the ideal scenario for governments and actors working in this area to discuss innovative initiatives to continue the implementation of the Sendai Framework, in line with the Sustainable Development Objectives and the 2030 development agenda.

During RP17, with the support of the United States Agency for International Development's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID / OFDA), the winner of the Video-Challenge will have a space to present his video and will have the opportunity to share his proposals with representatives of governments, the private sector, technical and scientific institutions, civil society and the media present in Montreal.

Related Links:

First Place: Reducción del Riesgo Desastres Chile (Disaster Risk Reduction Chile)

Second Place: Agente de Cambio Mx (Agent of Change Mx)

Third Place: Nuestra reducción de riesgo (Our Risk Reduction)

Videos competing in the Video Challenge "Youth and DRR 2017

Rules of the Video Challenge

Fifth Regional Platform for DRR in the America