A regional connection matching goods and services to needs for humanitarian aid throughout the entire Americas region will soon become a reality. Through its new “Regional Logistics Centre for Humanitarian Assistance”, the Panamanian government is seeking to make Panama the first humanitarian hub in the Americas with an international reach, thus enabling the provision of effective response in shorter times to crises in the region.
As one of the main partners involved in this regional centre, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) will house its humanitarian warehouse in this space and actively advise on the development of the project by taking part in several thematic panels. In addition to taking part in the logistics panel, IFRC acts as secretary to the legal panel, charged with creating the legal framework that will govern the centre’s operations.
A multidisciplinary team of different Panamanian government entities such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Civil Protection, Customs, Migration and Civil Aviation among others, along with IFRC technical support are already in the process of drafting a law for the facilitation and regulation of International Humanitarian Assistance. This legislative proposal uses the Guidelines for the domestic facilitation and regulation of international disaster relief and initial recovery assistance and its associated model act as references, with the aim of offering legal facilities and required regulation based on prior operations for an effective humanitarian response.
Panama´s privileged geographic location, as well as its low disaster risk and hosting of numerous international organizations are all essential elements for this project and its expected impact on the international community.