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THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC RATIFIES THE
INTER-AMERICAN CONVENTION TO FACILITATE DISASTER ASSISTANCE

The Government of the Dominican Republic recently ratified the Inter-American Convention to Facilitate Disaster Assistance. The ratification document was formally deposited before the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS), in Washington, DC, by Ambassador Virgilio Alcántara, Permanent Representative of the Dominican Republic to the OAS.

“I welcome the ratification by the Dominican Republic and congratulate the Government of the Dominican Republic with this important decision. No doubt an example which should be followed by all other member states as soon as possible," said OAS Assistant Secretary General, Albert R. Ramdin, in response to the ratification.

Ambassador Ramdin has frequently stressed the importance of this political instrument, which has been ratified now by four countries (Panama, Peru, Uruguay and the Dominican Republic). At a briefing session organized by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) on the Inter-American Disaster Response Mechanisms, he affirmed that the Convention “should be recognized by all the States in the Americas” and asserted that “it is critically important to find the political support at the hemispheric-level to give the leverage needed for this Convention to acquire funding at the global level.”

The Convention, adopted by the OAS General Assembly in Santiago, Chile, in June 1991, is the only regional legal binding instrument in the world for disaster assistance, and applies whenever a state party furnishes assistance in response to a request from another State party. It also provides a comprehensive framework to tackle key concerns of disaster assistance by addressing issues such as: requests for and offers and acceptance of assistance; mechanisms for national coordination; and direction and control of assistance, among others.

Other mechanisms available in the framework of the Inter-American system to respond to natural disasters are the Inter-American Committee on Natural Disaster Reduction (IACNDR), and the Inter-American Emergency Aid Fund (FONDEM).

During the OAS General Assembly held in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, last June, OAS Member States approved the Resolution 2492 (XXXIX-O/09), in which they instruct the Permanent Council and the Inter-American Council for Integral Development to “convene a meeting to begin the process of joint assessment of existing legislative and coordination mechanisms in the natural disaster and humanitarian assistance areas.”

This assessment will take into account coordination efforts that can be made by the OAS. The meeting will present a proposal for action by the third quarter of 2010. The Resolution urges member states, regional organizations, the Inter-American Committee for Natural Disaster Reduction, and the Inter-American Network for Disaster Mitigation to “foster coordination, cooperation, and synergy in actions to facilitate transparent management of supplies and expedite humanitarian assistance.”

Reference: E-242/09