SELA to hold seminar on disaster risk management in Ecuador

Caracas, October 13, 2014.- The Permanent Secretariat of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA) will hold the "III Regional Seminar on Partnerships between the public and private sectors for Disaster Risk Management. Continuity of Government and Continuity of Business and Operations during Disasters in Latin America and the Caribbean: Achievements and Experiences from the Perspective of Local Governments and Enterprises" in Samborondón, Ecuador, on 14 and 15 October.

The main objective of this regional seminar -organized jointly with the Government of the Republic of Ecuador, through the Secretariat for Risk Management (SGR), and with the support of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UN/ISDR)- is to analyze the progress and national experiences gained by public-private partnerships in the area of disaster risk reduction in Latin America and the Caribbean within the context of continuity of government and continuity of business and operations, from the perspective of local governments -state governorates, mayor offices and municipalities- and local businesses.

In addition, specific experiences will be assessed from the perspective of governments and local companies with respect to the provision of basic public services. An evaluation will also be made of the instruments, methodologies and indicators available to check and monitor the performance of local risk management.

Another item on the agenda is an analysis of the ongoing regional initiatives to strengthen public-private partnerships for disaster risk reduction and the areas for cooperation. A roadmap to guide the fulfilment of the goals and objectives of continuity of government and business at the level of governments and local enterprises will also be outlined.

Participants in the event will include national authorities, regional and subregional agencies, and international organizations related to disaster risk reduction in the region, as well as representatives of enterprises, private associations and local governments.

The issue of public-private partnerships for disaster risk management -especially as regards continuity of government and continuity of business and operations during disasters in Latin America and the Caribbean- has been gaining increasingly higher priority on the agenda of regional institutions specializing in disaster risk reduction, in view of the need to strengthen the capacity of States to face disasters and the importance of focusing and activating the full potential for actions that social stakeholders (particularly the private sector) can undertake during disasters, which frequently exceed the response capacity of the States.

This has been demonstrated at various specialized forums that have been held in Latin America and the Caribbean, but above all within the framework of the regional meetings on International Humanitarian Assistance Mechanisms (MIAH), organized by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and the sessions of the Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, organized by the UN/ISDR.

Bearing in mind this background, Ecuador -through the Secretariat for Risk Management- agreed to host and co-sponsor this important meeting, with the purpose of promoting, coordinating and adopting common positions and strategies in Latin America and the Caribbean in the area of risk management, while recognizing the potential of the private sector and the importance of generating greater engagement through strategic alliances.

Thus, Ecuador, for the second time in 2014, hosts these regional meetings related to risk management, in compliance with the objectives and priorities of the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) and contributing to outlining a new base document to reinforce actions for risk reduction at the regional level.

With this contribution, the SGR seeks, along with SELA, to provide a space for integration and exchanges of experiences between the public and private sectors in the area of disaster risk management within the context of continuity of government and continuity of business and operations, and to deepen relations for coordination and cooperation among governments and the Latin American and Caribbean institutions specialized in disaster risk reduction and the private sector in the process of partnerships, and thus continue with the analysis of continuity of government, business and operations during disasters, from a regional, comprehensive and forward-looking perspective.

The Permanent Secretariat of SELA has been working on the issue of public-private partnerships for disaster risk management, and particularly, continuity of government and continuity of business and operations during disasters in Latin America and the Caribbean, in close collaboration and coordination with the UN/ISDR, which signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the period 2011-2015 in order to promote "cooperation between governments and private sector for disaster risk reduction".