On Wednesday, November 28th , a dedicated session, called “Commission C” was conducted on the topic of “strengthening legal frameworks for international disaster response.” Over one hundred and twenty participants took part in the Commission, chaired by Dr. Raymond Forde, President of the Barbados Red Cross and Federation Vice President from the Americas. Thirty-five Governments and National Societies took the floor to express their support for improved legal preparedness for disasters and for the dissemination and use of the IDRL Guidelines. In opening addresses Dr. Salvano Briceño (UNISDR) highlighted the links between the IDRL Guidelines and the Hyogo Framework of Action, Senator Richard Gordon (Philippines Red Cross) encouraged governments and National Societies to take a more pro-active and forward looking approach rather than relying on ad hoc arrangements to address problems and Dr. Charles Agbo (NEMA, Nigeria) shared Nigeria’s efforts to ensure that legal preparedness is addressed at both the national and the regional levels.
See the report and speeches from Commission C at: http://www.ifrc.org/what/disasters/idrl/advocacy/internationalconference.asp