Central America is a region affected by frequent disasters, the effects of global economic crises, armed conflicts, increased violence, migration and the outbreak of socio-political crises.
IFRC Disaster Law works across the Central American region with Red Cross National Societies, national governments and regional bodies. We are currently active in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Panama. A recent highlight for the IFRC Disaster Law in the Central American region was the adoption of a new International Disaster Response Law in Honduras in November 2020.
At the regional level, IFRC Disaster Law works with the Coordination Centre for the Prevention of Natural Disasters in Central America (CEPREDENAC). In 2020, we provided technical assistance for the revision of the Regional Humanitarian Assistance Mechanism for Disasters of the Central American Integration System ('MecReg'), which facilitates the shipment, transit and receipt of humanitarian aid and assistance across the region. The MecReg is complemented by the Central American Protocol for the Sending, Transit and Receipt of International Humanitarian and Technical Assistance in Disaster/Emergency Situations. In 2022, we participated as part of the evaluator team at the Second Regional Humanitarian Assistance Simulation.
