On October 24-25, 2011, another important step was taken in the development of the Americas' first comprehensive collection of national laws and procedures relevant to international disaster response. Representatives from seventeen Latin American and the Caribbean governments joined other stakeholders at a workshop in Panama City to discuss how to compile various country-chapters of the compendium.
The event was co-hosted by the Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, the White Helmets Commission of the Ministry of Foreign Relations, International Trade and Culture of Argentina, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies -International Disaster Response Laws, Rules and Principles (IDRL) Programme, and the United Nations Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The project to develop the "Regional Legal Compendium of Regulatory Instruments for the Management of International Humanitarian Assistance in Emergencies" grew out of disussions held in annual intergovernmental meetings on "Enhancing International Humanitarian Partnerships in Latin-America and the Caribbean" which have been held in Mexico (2008), Florianopolis (2009), Buenos Aires (2010), and Quito (2011). It is designed both to give regional partners a picture of applicable rules in the event of a future disaster in one of the participating countries, as well as to provide an opportunity for participating countries to identify any gaps in their current regulatory frameworks.
The workshop additionally provided a forum for discussion about the implementation of the IDRL Guidelines, regulatory barriers to post-disaster shelter and legislation for community-based disaster risk reduction.
Liliana López Ortiz, Director of Global Affairs and Security of the Secretary of Foreign Relation of Mexico, welcomed this initiative as an opportunity to share experiences and to enhance international, national and local capacities for disaster response. "The workshop is a step further in achieving a better coordination,” she affirmed.
The next EIHP meeting will be held in Panama in March 2012, where the results of the compilation of national laws will be presented.