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OAS ASSISTANT SECRETARY GENERAL ALBERT RAMDIN HIGHLIGHTS IMPORTANCE OF A REGIONAL APPROACH TO NATURAL DISASTER MITIGATION

At a recent meeting of experts on natural disasters at the Inter-American Defense College focused on large scale emergencies and disasters, the Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of the American States, Ambassador Albert R. Ramdin, stressed that regional support to national natural disaster mitigation mechanisms is critical to the effectiveness of sustainable development policies. Pointing to the fallout of hurricanes, earthquakes, landslides, and flood that claim thousands of lives, affect millions of people and cause billions of dollars in infrastructure and property losses every year, Ambassador Ramdin indicated that an Inter-American System for natural disaster reduction represents an invaluable tool for the countries in the Americas.

“The issue of natural disasters represents both an issue of sustainable development, where risk-management needs to be mainstreamed across all sectors and an issue of public security. The impact of natural disasters, particularly on the small developing states, has been an important factor in prompting the OAS to give special attention to cooperation with other agencies of the Inter-American system in order to find appropriate and practical solutions”, observed Ramdin.

The Inter-American system already has in place a number of mechanisms that address various aspects of disaster mitigation and response. These include the Inter-American Committee on Natural Disaster Reduction (IACNDR) that seeks to strengthen hemispheric actions to achieve maximum international cooperation in support of national and/or regional efforts, the Inter-American Emergency Aid Fund (FONDEM) that supports the political role of the OAS in matters pertaining to emergency aid, the Inter-American Convention to Facilitate Disaster Assistance which provides a framework for hazard assistance, the White Helmets Initiative for volunteer mobilization and the Inter-American Defense Board which provides OAS member states with technical and consultancy services for disaster relief and humanitarian assistance.

Ambassador Ramdin insisted that the Inter-American system addresses the full continuum of actions related to natural disasters including prevention, preparedness, early warning, emergency care, response, vulnerability reduction, risk management, mitigation, rehabilitation, and reconstruction.

The Assistant Secretary General called for a seminar to be held early next year to assess existing disaster response mechanisms, establish an inventory of available resources and agree on methods to promote greater operational efficiency and effectiveness.

The Inter-American Defense College (IADC) is an international educational institution operating under the aegis and funding of the OAS and the Inter-American Defense Board. It provides a professionally oriented, multidisciplinary, graduate-level course of study.

Reference: E-469/08