Guatemala hosts regional workshop for a shared agenda on disaster management
Guatemala City - A regional workshop was held in Guatemala with the goal of socializing the Central American initiative for a policy for integrated management of risk. The goals were to generate inputs for a shared agenda and a regional policy and strengthen inter-agency partnerships for risk management as a regional challenge ten years after Hurricane Mitch in Central America.
The event was attended by the Executive Secretary of the Coordination Center for the Prevention of Natural Disasters in Central America, CEPREDENAC, Mr. Ivan Morales, the Regional Coordinator of the Regional Program for the Reduction of Vulnerability and Environmental Degradation, PREVDA, Engineer Estuardo Velasquez and representatives of the Regional Committee for Water Resources, CRRH and the Central American Commission for Environment and Development, CCAD, among other important actors in the region.
At the end of the workshop, the challenges and proposals for an integrated risk management within the framework of regional policies were defined, shared strategic and policy agendas were developed, instruments for norms and procedures were reviewed for the financial and territorial aspects of risks of disasters management.
CEPREDENAC is a regional intergovernmental body, belonging to the Central American Integration System, SICA, as a specific secretariat.
CEPREDENAC has been created by national laws in the countries of Central America, with a mandate to promote activities, projects and programs leading to the reduction of disaster risks that cause economic and human losses.
The Center promotes and coordinates international cooperation and exchange of information, experiences and scientific and technical advice on prevention, mitigation, attention and response to disasters. It also systematizes and records information related to the prevention, mitigation, response, recovery and impact of disasters, in a dynamic, interactive and accessible way at the regional level.
The event was facilitated by the Regional Program for the Reduction of Vulnerability and Environmental Degradation, PREVDA, which is part of the Central American Integration System, SICA, with support from the European Union. It aims to contribute to the consolidation of the regional integration, through work with the Coordinating Center for the Prevention of Natural Disasters in Central America, CEPREDENAC, the Regional Committee for Water Resources, CRRH and the Central American Commission for Environment and Development, CCAD. The aim is to reduce the risks of disasters related to water through environmental management and integral management of water resources.
Prevda's goal is to develop and implement regional and local approaches for reducing the risks associated with water in the short and long term, incorporating land use and management of watersheds and environmental management techniques, in order to link existing efforts in preparedness and mitigation and sustainable development.
Prevda's geographical area of intervention is the Central American region. Seven watershed projects have been selected locally for replication: in Costa Rica river Reventazon -Parismina, River Lempa in El Salvador, Guatemala's Samalá River, in Honduras the Choluteca River, the river Malacatoya in Nicaragua and Panama's Pacor and Indio river.
by Barbara Schieber