Regional platform for DRR in the Americas
From HFA-PEDIA
regional platforms, as regional or sub-regional policy guidance and coordination mechanisms have a critical role to play. Regional platforms are already in place in Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe.
Regional Platform for DRR in the Americas
In the case of the Americas, the Regional Platform is led by the Organization of American States (OAS).
The regional platform is expected to evolve as the main regional mechanism for:
- Guiding the implementation of the HFA in the Americas
- Promoting coordination among sub-regional inter-governmental bodies and fostering cooperation on DRR cross-boundary issues and priorities
- Coordinating and endorsing regional reports for the Global Platform on behalf of the Americas
The political arm of the regional platform is conceived as based on the existing Inter-American Committee for Natural Disaster Reduction (IACNDR), convened by the OAS and with participation of all Americas’ states. This will be complemented by the Inter-American Network for Disaster Mitigation (IANDM), recently developed by the OAS, and focused on technical cooperation.
In addition, these two bodies will be supported with policy guidance by the regional inter-agency group RED-LAC, which has a group focused on DRR, led by UN/ISDR Americas. All these mechanisms will help to bring together the work of the intergovernmental sub-regional bodies, such as CEPREDENAC (Central America); CAPRADE (Andean countries of South America) and CDERA (Caribbean) which are well established in the region.
An informal regional consultation for the Global Platform took place in June 2006, in Panama, where it was stressed that along with OAS as a key regional political entity, intergovernmental sub-regional mechanisms such as CEPREDENAC (Central America), CAPRADE (South America), the ACS (Greater Caribbean) and CDERA (CARICOM countries), should become key components of the regional platform, in particular as exchange and follow-up mechanisms.
Composition
1) OAS' Inter-American Committee on Natural Disaster Reduction, IACNDR (American States)
2) OAS' Inter-American Network for Disaster Mitigation, INDM (American States)
3) Specialized sub-regional bodies:
- Andean Committee for Disaster Prevention and Relief , CAPRADE (Andean countries)
- Center for Coordination of Prevention and Natural Disasters in Central America, CEPREDENAC (Central American countries)
- Caribbean Agency for Disaster Response, CDERA (CARICOM countries), and
- Association of the Caribbean States, ACS (Greater Caribbean)
- Regional coordinating mechanism RED-LAC (the DRR group involving ISDR Secretariat - The Americas; IFRC; PAHO; UNICEF, PNUD/BCPR; Plan International and Ayuda en Acción).
National platforms and HFA national focal points are of course considered as important elements of the regional platform; they will participate through their respective regional and sub-regional mechanisms
Role of the ISDR secretariat, regional unit for the Americas
1) Co-convener of the Regional Platform (together with OAS)
2) Backstopping mechanism for participation of the Americas in the Global Platform
3) Policy guidance and support to OAS and sub-regional bodies, as the main drivers of the Regional Platform
