UNESCO brings together experts and authorities in a regional workshop on the tsunami preparedness programme

• A similar workshop held in 2010 in Callao, Peru.

Between 8 and 10 June in Quito, the first planning session of the “Strengthening the Regional Tsunami Early Warning System – preparations in Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru” programme was held, as part of the framework of activities for the 7th Action Plan for South America of the Disaster Preparedness Programme (DIPECHO), of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid (DG – ECHO).

This project, financed by the DIPECHO programme, aims to build awareness, knowledge and best practices on risks and preparation for tsunamis, while also improving regional and institutional cooperation in these countries. The project is being undertaken jointly by the Regional Bureau of Education for Latin America and the Caribbean (OREALC/UNESCO Santiago), the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, and the UNESCO offices in Lima and Quito.

As part of these activities, the first Regional Planning Workshop 2011-2012 will be held, aiming to forge an agreement between stakeholders in the 7th DIPECHO Action Plan regarding their activities for the period. A working proposal will be drawn up for the creation of a regional communications protocol for tsunami early warning on the Pacific coast, and the regional vision statement and priorities of the programme with be laid out, allowing actions to be aligned in a more strategic manner.

The official announcement of the event was made by UNESCO alongside the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (EIRD), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), and it is expected that regional and national authorities will be among the participants, along with delegates of 13 institutions linked to disaster risk reduction in South America, representatives of each country’s Ministry of Education, and representatives of the Disaster Preparedness Programme of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid.

UNESCO supports the participation of the following institutions, with the aim of integrating them into the regional dynamic that is being promoted under the DIPECHO South America programme in its 7th Action Plan:

Chile:
Servicio Hidrográfico y Oceanográfico de la Armada de Chile / SHOA
Oficina Nacional de Emergencias / ONEMI
Servicio Sismológico de la Universidad de Chile
Ministerio de Educación Chile

Peru:
Dirección de Hidrografía y Navegación / DHN
Instituto Nacional de Defensa Civil / INDECI
Instituto Geofísico del Perú / IGP
Ministerio de Educación Perú

Colombia:
Dirección Marítima / DIMAR
Instituto Colombiano de Geología y Minería Ingeominas
Dirección de Gestión del Riesgo / DGR

Ministerio de Educación Nacional de Colombia

Ecuador:
Instituto Oceanográfico de la Armada del Ecuador / INOCAR
Instituto Geofísico de la Universidad Politécnica
Secretaría Nacional de Gestión del Riesgo / SNGR
Ministerio de Educación Ecuador

Comisión Permanente del Pacifico Sur (CPPS)

Enlaces de interés
El anterior Sexto Plan de Acción para Sudamérica del Programa de Preparación para Desastres (DIPECHO)

• 06-06-2011