Thursday 21 de june de 2018

Information for the Press N°: 268/18

Today, the White Helmets Commission of the Argentine Foreign Ministry chaired session No. 13 on the sidelines of the 6th Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in the Americas.

The session "Strengthening International Cooperation Mechanisms for Risk Reduction and Emergency Response" was chaired by the White Helmets Commission in its capacity as a focal point of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR).

The event was attended by the Colombian National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD), the Coordination Center for the Prevention of Natural Disasters in Central America (CEPREDENAC), the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), Panama's Regional Logistics Hub for Humanitarian Assistance, the MERCOSUR Meeting of Ministers and High Authorities on Comprehensive Disaster Risk Management (RMAGIR), the World Bank and insurance company Sancor Seguros Group.

The Plenary Session was moderated by a representative of the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO).

At the beginning of the meeting, the president of the White Helmets Commission, Alejandro Daneri, stated: "Our region is diverse. Risk factors vary from one country to another, as well as our preparation, and there are differences in our response capacities and the way in which we address disasters. Therefore, we must strengthen cooperation and partnerships."

The aim of this session was to encourage countries from the region, in cooperation with Agencies, International Organizations and civil society, to identify the various regional and sub-regional cooperation mechanisms on the subject.

In addition, operational capacities were identified in order to spot strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for fostering innovative cooperation mechanisms and building strong sustainable partnerships for disaster risk reduction and emergency response.