First lady of Paraguay welcomes the support of Red Cross in legal preparedness

News
Isabelle Granger
Paraguay
On 4 April  2013, more than 50 representatives of several public institutions and governmental authorities gathered to discuss Paraguay’s legal preparedness for disasters. The workshop took place in conjunction with the drafting of the new emergency regulation to Law 2615, which established the National Emergency Secretariat, and the adoption of a new national policy on risks management.

Among the participants were the honourable first lady of Paraguay, the Minister of the National Emergency Secretariat and the President of the Paraguayan Red Cross. The Paraguayan Red Cross, supported by the IFRC, presented recommendations on the draft emergency regulation to the Minister of the National Emergency Secretariat, his Excellency Ruben Valdez. These recommendations were drawn from the Guidelines for the domestic facilitation and regulation of international disaster relief and initial recovery assistance (IDRL Guidelines) and the related Model Act.

“We need to be better prepared to respond to disasters. This is why this workshop is so important,” remarked Her Excellency Emilia Alfaro, Paraguay’s First Lady and National Deputy. “As a member of the Executive Council of the National Emergency Secretariat, the Paraguayan Red Cross plays a key role in ensuring effective response to disasters. Laws are essential to this end and we must make better use of them,” continued Dr Luis Diaz de Bedoya, President of the Paraguayan Red Cross.

“We are extremely proud to contribute to the drafting of this regulation. It is a unique opportunity to articulate the functioning of the cooperation between international actors and national authorities during international disaster responses,” commented Dr Carlos Diaz de Bedoya, Legal Director at the Paraguayan Red Cross.