REDLAC
From HFA-PEDIA
Contents |
Introduction
Risk, Emergency, and Disaster Task Force Inter-Agency Workgroup for Latin America and the Caribbean (REDLAC)
The Latin America and the Caribbean region are highly vulnerable to natural disasters with one third of the region’s population continuously exposed to their consequences. Added to this are problems of poverty, inequality, emigration, accelerated urbanization, social unrest, and climate change.
To respond to the needs arising from the onslaught of hurricanes, droughts, floods, earthquakes and other disasters triggered by natural phenomena, humanitarian organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean work to mitigate the impact of disasters, while improving emergency preparedness, response and recovery.
The United Nations General Assembly Resolution 46/182, the Disaster Management Team (UNDMT) mandate, combined with the presence of various regional humanitarian agencies in Panama, and the need to strengthen collaboration between the different regional agencies, provide the basis for the establishment of the Risk, Emergency, and Disaster Task Force of the Regional Inter-Agency Standing Committee created in 2003.
The aim of this Task Force is to improve information exchange, reflection, and organization of joint efforts in preventing and mitigating the impact of crises and emergencies.
Strategy
The group’s main strategy is to improve disaster response in the region, through a consensual approach, emphasizing better coordination and exchange of information.
Activities
The group shares information before, during, and after a disaster or emergency. It also carries out joint disaster and emergency preparedness, response and recovery activities in order to make the best possible use of existing resources. Results from the workgroup in areas of coordination and cooperation are sent to United Nations Disaster Management Team (UNDMT) / United Nations Emergency Technical Team (UNETT) members in affected countries, to widen and strengthen their regional vision as well as their capacities for coordination and disaster management.
Operations Emergency Management
In the event of an emergency in the region, the group exchanges information and develops joint strategies for managing the emergency through national emergency response mechanisms, such as UNETT, Humanitarian Country team, UNDMT, and other government-led forums.
In addition to ad-hoc meetings whenever emergencies occur in the region, REDLAC meets monthly. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) acts as the group’s executive secretariat and is responsible for facilitating communication among members, organizing meetings, as well as keeping records of agreements and decisions made during the meetings.
In order to better coordinate emergency operations, working groups on information management, risk reduction, disaster preparedness and logistics have been created.
Services
During an emergency, the group offers the following specialized services:
- Continuous sharing of information about the emergency;
- Support for inter-agency needs assessments
- Provide humanitarian assistance in cases where international cooperation is requested (inter-agency appeals).
Main activities
The Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) was established in June 1992 in accordance with General Assembly resolution 46/182.
The IASC facilitates decision making within the agencies regarding emergency response through:
- Development of system-wide agreements on humanitarian policies
- Assigning of responsibilities among organizations in humanitarian programs
- Compliance with humanitarian principles common to counterparts not integrated in the IASC
- Identification of areas with gaps in mandates or a lack of operative capacity and
- Development of a system-wide consensus between humanitarian organizations on humanitarian topics.
Working Groups
The Purpose of the Regional IASC Risk, Emergency and Disaster working group is to create a platform for exchange of information, coordination and optimization of emergency mitigation and response in order to reduce their impact on vulnerable populations in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Members and Permanent Guests:
- CARE
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
- International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
- International Organization for Migration (IOM)
- Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)
- Médicos Sin Fronteras España
- Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
- Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
- OXFAM International
- Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
- Plan International
- United Nations Children’s Funds (UNICEF)
- United Nations Development Programme – Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (UNDP-BCPR)
- United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
- United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
- United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR)
- United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UNCHS)
- United Nation Office for Projects Services (UNOPS)
- United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
- World Food Programme (WFP)
- World Vision
Special Guests - Donors:
- European Commissions Humanitarian Aid (ECHO)
- Spanish Agency of International Development Cooperation (AECI)
- Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SIDA)
- U.S. Agency for International Development – Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID / OFDA)
Special Guests – Regional and Sub-Regional Organisms:
- Andean Committee for Disaster Prevention and Relief (CAPRADE)
- Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA)
- Centro de Coordinación para la Prevención de Desastres Naturales de América Central (CEPREDENAC)
Special Guests – Other Partners:
- Center of the Humid Tropics for Latin America and The Caribbean (CATHALAC)
- DevInfoLAC
- World Society for the Protection of Animals
- Télécoms Sans Frontiérs
Achievements
REDLAC has strengthened partnership, both at regional and national levels, by helping to create Humanitarian Country Teams and include new partners in the REDLAC group.
- Thanks to the REDLAC’s coordination, collaboration in the disaster response has improved at regional and country levels. This has been reflected in joint delivery of donations by its members and through the implementation of inter-agency logistics capacity assessments at country level.
- The Rapid Needs Assessment (RNA) methodology, which consolidates various indicators and tools used to assess damages and vulnerability in different sectors, has been developed and promoted in the field by REDLAC partners.
- REDLAC produced publication “Ten years after Hurricane Mitch: An Overview of Vulnerability Trends in Central America”, a study commemorating the tenth year anniversary of hurricane Mitch in Central America and supported the PAHO/WHO “Best Practices in international humanitarian donations”.
- Increased information sharing, through redhum.org and the production of materials such as the REDLAC Weekly Note on Emergencies and maps.
- REDLAC contributed to the creation of the matrix for the development and implementation of the United Nations Inter-Agency Emergency Response Plan. The aim of this matrix is to encourage and facilitate the writing of the Plan and to provide “steps to follow” for its implementation in the event of an emergency.
Contact Information
REDLAC Executive Secretariat (OCHA)
Clayton, City of Knowledge
Vicente Bonilla St., Building 119
P.O. Box 0843-03096, Balboa, Ancon
Panama, Panama City
Tel: (00507) 317-1748
E-mail: ocha-rolac@un.org
Other
Inspired by the United Nations General Assembly [46/182] surrounding the Strengthening of the coordination of humanitarian emergency assistance of the United Nations, the Disasters Management Team (UNDMT) mandate, the presence of various regional humanitarian agencies in Panama, and the need to reinforce collaboration between the different regional agencies on the topics of disasters preparedness and response, the Risk, Emergency and Disasters Task Force of the Regional Inter-Agency Standing Committee (REDLAC) was created in 2004 to promote programs and projects in the areas of risk management and mitigation of disasters and emergencies. These programs and projects are designed to assist affected populations and reduce their vulnerability levels by strengthening their response capacity and reducing their exposure to risk.
The aim of this Task Force is to create a platform for information exchange, reflection, and organization of joint efforts to optimize preparedness and response actions aimed at preventing and mitigating the suffering of populations vulnerable to natural disasters in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The group’s main strategies are coordination, as a mechanism to improve the response in affected countries, and the exchange of information, for discussion and reaching a consensus within the forum. Decisions that are reached by consensus do not compromise the humanitarian mandate of member’s respective agencies.
The group shares information before, during, and after a disaster or emergency. It also organizes the implementation of join disaster preparedness and response projects to maximize existing resources. The group focuses its intervention on the preparedness and response stages, and coordinates prevention, mitigation, and reduction tasks with other actors.
Results from the workgroup in areas of coordination and cooperation are sent to UNDMT members in vulnerable countries, to widen and strengthen their regional vision as well as their capacities for coordination and disaster management.
The group meets bimonthly (once every 2 moths) and the sessions are chaired by the representative of the regional OCHA office.
REDLAC members include OCHA, UN/ISDR the Americas, WFP, UNDP-BCPR, UNICEF, PAHO, IFRC, UNFPA, UNHCR, as well as Plan International (Americas division, CARE, CATHALAC, OXFAM and World Vision - LAC
REDLAC subgroups include Information Management, Logistics, Risk Management and Rehabilitation.
