Disaster risk is one of the highest priority issues for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) because it causes human losses and damage to infrastructure and public and private services, with great impact on the most vulnerable sectors and in countries with fragile economies that are in the process of recovery. Due to its geographical position, the region is highly exposed to multiple natural hazards, both hydrometeorological and geological; both categories converge in multi-hazard risk contexts that are also being altered in their patterns by changes derived from global warming. Faced with this scenario of transformation, the region needs to improve its risk management mechanisms in order to adapt its development strategies to a changing natural environment.

Both the distortions in natural hazards and the increase in the conditions of vulnerability, especially of the most exposed social groups, raise the urgency of redoubling regional efforts to reduce the impact of disasters. Such efforts include improving preparedness mechanisms for future events, shielding public investments and reducing the impact that productive activities generate within the construction of disaster risk. This requires strategies, policies and measures aimed at increasing people’s safety, well-being, quality of life, resilience and sustainable development of the region.

Integrated Disaster Risk Management (IDRM) aims to create safe development contexts and reduce the impact of disasters of natural or man-made origin on communities and the environment. It is a continuous process involving the identification of the causes of risks, their assessment and the implementation of corrective, prospective, reactive, and compensatory measures. As a result of this process, disaster damage and losses are reduced, and its effectiveness is plausible to the extent that it prioritises protection and recovery.

In addition to promoting disaster prevention actions, the authorities responsible for IDRM contribute to making sectoral development processes more sustainable and efficient over time. Core challenges of the development agenda, such as public health, poverty or food and nutrition security, can be strengthened if they include disaster risk management considerations. Thus, organisations, public and private institutions, and actors participating in multi-sectoral coordination bodies need to develop preparedness and specialisation tools to reduce the processes that generate disaster risk and improve response and recovery capacities in times of disaster, in addition to guiding public policies and strategies in the field of ISDR for social and economic recovery.

The Latin American and Caribbean region offers various disaster risk management instruments that promote agreements on prevention, attention, and risk reduction schemes at the subregional level, mostly in line with the Sendai framework. However, these instruments still need to strengthen a common approach that prioritises aspects of social protection, economic reactivation, and financial risk transfer, among others. In this framework of action, the UNDRR Regional Action Plan (RAP) could be a reference framework to achieve these goals.

Based on this background, the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA) and the Network of Social Studies for Disaster Prevention in Latin America and the Caribbean (LA RED) have worked on a base diagnosis for the definition of strategic guidelines to support the development of a protocol on integrated disaster risk management in accordance with the guidelines approved by the member countries in their Work Programme for 2022-2026. The purpose is to lay the foundations for the integration and participation of national disaster risk reduction (DRR) strategies as a contribution to the systematisation and identification of universally accepted and shared standards to increase and strengthen the resilience of Latin American and Caribbean nations and communities to disaster risk.

In order to disseminate the aforementioned diagnostic document as widely as possible and to learn about the observations, opinions and inputs from the focal points of the region on the possibility of having a common framework on the issue of IDRM in the socio-economic aspects that they promote, SELA proposes the convening of an informative and working workshop, to be held with the collaboration of the Directorate for Political Affairs of MERCOSUR and the Argentinean Agency for International Cooperation and Humanitarian Assistance – White Helmets – of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship (MRECIC) of the Argentine Republic, the Forum for Consultation and Political Coordination of Mercosur, and the Meeting of Ministers and High-Level Authorities on Integrated Disaster Risk Management of Mercosur (RMAGIR).

The Workshop for the construction of strategic guidelines for disaster risk management includes the following terms:

• Generate a space for discussion and training on the state of risk management in Latin America and the Caribbean and its main challenges in the context of post-pandemic recovery.
• Provide recommendations on the thematic areas and opportunities for multilateral action on Integrated Disaster Risk Management (IDRM) in Latin America and the Caribbean.
• Identify cross-cutting elements to be included in the potential Strategic Guidelines that will guide actions for the development of a Protocol on Integrated Disaster Risk Management (IDRM).

• Technical officials (focal points) and decision-makers that make up the Committees and/or Councils of the national risk management systems of the countries in the region.
• Authorities responsible for risk management processes at the regional and national levels.
• Representatives of regional disaster risk management bodies.

• Face-to-face and virtual with a duration of one and a half days.
• Day 1: from 14:00 to 17:30 h.
• Day 2: from 09:00 to 13:00 h and 14:00 to 16:30 h.
• Group size: approximately 50 participants.

• Presentation of the regional diagnosis.
• Conceptual bases of DRM.
• Training on the three main topics resulting from the regional diagnosis: social protection, economic reactivation, and financial transfer of disaster risk.
• Conclusions and agreements on areas to define pillars, thematic areas and opportunities for multilateral action that exist around Integrated Disaster Risk Management (IDRM) in Latin America and the Caribbean.
• Agreements on next steps.

• Presentations by the trainers.
• Working sessions
• Feedback activities and dissemination of best practices.

06 and 07 June 2023. Palacio de San Martín. Buenos Aires, Argentina

• Members of the Network of Social Studies for Disaster Prevention in Latin America and the Caribbean (LA RED).

Tuesday, 06 June 2023

Define opportunities for multilateral action on DRM as a fundamental aspect in public policy processes, addressing specific requirements related to prospective, corrective and compensatory risk management.

• SELA – Sayed Durán: sduran@sela.org
• White Helmets Commission – Gabriela Rodríguez: rzu @mreci.gov.ar

• Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA)
• Forum for Consultation and Political Coordination of Mercosur
• Argentine Agency for International Cooperation and Humanitarian Assistance – White Helmets (ACIAH)