Integration mechanisms articulate strategies to strengthen disaster risk management in the region

The Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA) and the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) organised in Guatemala the meeting "Proposals for joint regional action: disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation", with the aim of articulating strategies to strengthen comprehensive risk management and define early warning mechanisms in this area that greatly impacts the countries of the region. 

The Permanent Secretary of SELA, Ambassador Clarems Endara, stressed that the purpose of this meeting is "to coordinate strategies and positions that allow us to define points of convergence and best practices in order to build joint work proposals in the field of disaster risk management." 

The Latin American and Caribbean region is one of the hardest hit by catastrophic events resulting from climate and weather phenomena. “This scenario poses the need for policies that strengthen comprehensive risk management and establish early warning mechanisms that facilitate the understanding of the dynamic interactions with systemic risks,” the Permanent Secretary of SELA pointed out. 

ACS Secretary-General, Rodolfo Sabonge, described the Caribbean as one of the regions most affected by climate change, which has left great losses and a significant economic impact. In this regard, he stressed the need to articulate efforts to achieve effective solutions. He also recalled that this meeting is the result of the agreement reached by the secretariats of the integration mechanisms in Argentina, last January, to strengthen strategic alliances that allow them to advance and contribute to the construction of a programme that responds with concrete actions to the needs of Latin America and the Caribbean. 

The meeting "Proposals for joint regional action: Disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation", was held in the city of Antigua, Guatemala, with the participation of the Central American Integration System (SICA); the Andean Community (CAN); the Latin American Integration Association (ALADI); the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America - Peoples' Trade Agreement (ALBA-TCP); the Common Market of the South (MERCOSUR); and the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organisation (ACTO) within the framework of the IX Summit of Heads of State and/or Government of the ACS. 

This meeting is in line with SELA's Work Programme and is part of the joint work agenda that SELA maintains with ACS, SICA, CAN, ALADI, ALBA-TCP, MERCOSUR, and ACTO, with the purpose of identifying points of common interest among the integration schemes of Latin America and the Caribbean in order to offer concrete responses to the needs of the region.