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On 5 September, the Chilean Red Cross, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and the United Nations jointly held a seminar on disaster law in Santiago.

The IDRL Programme has published a case study examining legal issues in the international response to the 2007 floods in Bolivia.

In the context of recent disasters affecting the municipalities of the state of Rio de Janeiro, the Ministry of External Relations of Brazil hosted, on 1 April 2011, a seminar on 'Normative aspects related to disaster risk and humanitarian assistance.'

A new report is now available online which reviews Uganda’s legal system in relation to disaster and emergency situations, and assesses its capacity to monitor and facilitate international disaster assistance.

Uganda’s Minister for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, Professor Tarsus Kabwegyere recently led a delegation of government officials attending an IDRL workshop organized in collaboration with the Uganda Red Cross Society and the IFRC to discuss legal preparedness for international disaster response.

In cooperation with the Uganda Red Cross Society, the IFRC is sponsoring a project to assist the Government of Uganda to examine its legal framework for the facilitation and regulation of international assistance in disasters.

“Due to severe flooding, some areas in out country are only accessible during 4 months of the year, this workshop about legal preparedness therefore comes at the right time” said His Excellency Joseph Lual, Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management of South Sudan at the workshop ‘Disasters and Law in South Sudan’, which took place in Juba on 15 November 2012.

The National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) of South Africa is currently spearheading a review of South Africa’s comprehensive Disaster Management Act of 2002.

In 2002, South Africa adopted a new Disaster Management Act which has since been touted internationally as an important model for its holistic approach, which incorporates both response and risk reduction.

On December 4, the Sierra Leone Red Cross Society and the Sierra Leone Office of National Security hosted a “Legal Preparedness Workshop for Responding to Disaster and Communicable Disaster Emergencies in Sierra Leone.”