San Salvador, El
Salvador
October 19-20, 2000
The Meeting was chaired by the Vice Minister of Foreign
Affairs and International Co-operation of El Salvador, Mr. Héctor González Urrutia, who
was subsequently replaced by Dr. Elizabeth Cubías, Director General of the Social and
Cultural Unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Also present at the Head Table were Mr.
Marco Alcázar, Director General for Co-operation with Central America and the Caribbean,
of the Foreign Affairs Secretariat of Mexico, who is also the Chairman of the Council of
National Representatives of the ACS Special Fund; Mr. Clemens Ravelli and Ms. Doheny
Roosberg of the National Office for Natural Disasters of the Netherlands Antilles serving
as the Meeting’s Rapporteur, in addition to the Secretariat Representative, Director
Mario Estrada Cuevas. Attending the meeting were representatives from eleven Member and
Associate Member Countries and one Observer Country, as well as representatives from eight
regional and international Organizations and from the University of Puerto Rico. The
complete list of participants is attached to this report as the annex.
In his opening address, the ACS representative, Director
Mario Estrada, conveyed his thanks to the authorities and to the people of El Salvador for
the excellent welcome received. He also expressed his gratitude for the political support
given by the Government of El Salvador in accepting not only the chairmanship of the
Special Committee, but also the responsibility of organizing this meeting. He further
recognized the work carried out by the previous Executive Board of the Special Group for
Natural Disasters and stressed the importance of this issue for the Ministerial Council,
who promoted the group to the category of Special Committee during its Fifth Ordinary
Meeting in Panama. Finally, he thanked the Specialized Regional Organizations for
attending the meeting, particularly CEPREDENAC, PAHO and CDERA, who have been present at
the Meetings on Natural Disasters since the inception of the Special Group.
In his welcome remarks and in declaring the meeting
open, Vice Minister González Urrutia emphasized the need to obtain positive and concrete
results based on the commitment to carry out joint activities. He further expressed the
need to evaluate and select high impact projects, whose execution must also be based on
common efforts and co-operation within the region, due mainly to the importance of better
utilizing the limited resources available.
Approval of
the agenda and procedural matters
Mr. Estrada requested approval to include four new
presentations in the agenda. These presentations were suggested during the Second Meeting
of the Technical Group on Natural Disasters, two of which address the issue of Early
Warning Systems: One to be delivered by Dr. Barbara Carby, Director General of the Office
for the Preparation and Administration of
Emergencies of Jamaica; and the other by Mr. Oscar Navarro Garate, General Coordinator for
Civil Protection of Mexico. In addition to these, was a presentation by Mr. Jeremy
Collymore on Strengthening the Capacity of Disaster Management Organizations (DMO). Ms.
Margarita Villalobos of the Regional Disaster Information Centre (CRID-EIRD) also offered to deliver a presentation
on said Centre.
There were no objections and the agenda was approved
with the inclusion of the four presentations.
Report by the
Secretariat
Director Estrada informed the delegates of several
important decisions taken at the Fourth Preparatory Intersessional Meeting of the
Ministerial Council held on July 20-21, 2000, regarding the restructuring of the
priorities of the ACS Work Programme. He pointed out that it was suggested at said meeting
that the activities of the Special Committees be reduced so as to focus greater effort on
a smaller number of high impact activities. It was also recommended that the Secretariat
analyze the possibilities of restructuring the Special Committees in such a manner that
the following four priority areas would be covered: Trade, Sustainable Tourism, Transport
and Natural Disasters. The Director mentioned that these suggestions will be submitted for
the consideration of the Ministerial Council, which will meet in Honduras in December this
year. He further stated that during the First Meeting of the Executive Board of the
Special Committee on Natural Disasters, held in Port of Spain on March 16, 2000, special
emphasis was placed on the need to apply a more structured approach to the work realized
by the Special Committee, and it was consequently decided that a survey would be conducted
so as to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses and Projects carried out by ACS Member and
Associate Member Countries. The purpose of this is to determine the best course of action.
In order to achieve this, a Technical Group was appointed, comprising the members of the
Executive Board of the Special Committee and the sub-regional organizations for the
prevention and mitigation of natural disasters, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response
Agency (CDERA), the Central American Centre for the Prevention of Natural Disasters
(CEPREDENAC), and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
The terms of reference for the aforementioned survey
were developed at the first meeting of the Technical Group, which took place on May 29,
2000. The survey was conducted by the Consultant in accordance with the schedule
established, and the results were evaluated at the second meeting of the Technical Group
held on October 9-10, 2000. At said meeting, it was recommended that the Special Committee
be divided into two working groups during its meeting in El Salvador. These groups would
be responsible for identifying possible activities to be carried out in the four priority
areas identified in the survey. Countries were thanked for the support provided through
the responses received.
Report by the
Chairman of the Committee
The Chairman stated that the
content of his report would be the same as the report presented by the Secretariat
Representative. He recognized the achievements made by the ACS Secretariat and suggested
that the meeting continue with the presentation by the Consultant, Ms. Nicole Williams.
Presentation by
the Consultant, Ms. Nicole Williams
Ms. Williams delivered a presentation on the procedures
and results of the survey conducted. She reiterated that the objective of the survey was
to identify and promote common co-operation priorities for the prevention, mitigation and
management of natural disasters, by means of reviewing the risks involved, the
interstate/sub-regional mechanisms, gaps/priorities and the projects being executed in the
various countries. She then presented a summary of the results of the survey, and based on
these, concluded that there were four principal areas for regional co-operation, namely:
-
Analysis of the risks caused by
Floods and Earthquakes
-
Early Warning Systems for Floods
and Swells
-
Training, Education and Awareness
Programmes
-
Strengthening the Disaster
Management Organizations (DMO)
In addition, the Consultant pointed out that the survey
resulted in the identification of approximately fifty projects being developed nationally
by countries.
She also stressed that the co-operation activities to be
defined in these priority areas should employ regional knowledge and experience, transfer
the activities carried out to the communities, including mitigation and recovery, in
addition to the fact that beneficiary countries should contribute financially to the
initiatives.
Discussion on the
results of the Survey and its Presentation
All participants at the meeting expressed their
satisfaction with the results of the survey, with the manner in which it was presented and
with the fact that it increased mutual knowledge, thereby facilitating the identification
of co-operation areas. Also recognized as a result of the survey were the possibilities of
creating synergy, sharing experiences, expertise and knowledge already existing in the
region. In addition to the four areas indicated as priorities, the following issues were
identified as being of great common interest:
-
The need for community
participation
-
The importance of a political
commitment regarding Disaster Management.
Finally, during the discussion
on the results presented by the Consultant, Ms. Nicole Williams, several contributions
were made that are worth mentioning: the paragraph on biological-epidemic vulnerability
was restructured. This paragraph recognizes that in the health profile of several Member
Countries, various contagious diseases are highlighted, with dengue being one of them, and
consequently, it is necessary to consider this reality in disaster situations, in order to
prevent and control them.
The Chairman of the Special Fund also asked delegations
to consider within the Working Groups, the document entitled “Presentation by the Rio
Group at the Inter-Agency Working Meeting on the International Strategy for the Reduction
of Natural Disasters” delivered by the Mexican delegation and distributed during the
meeting.
Presentation on
the Methodology of the Working Groups
A joint presentation was delivered by Mr. Mario Estrada
and Mr. Clemens Ravelli on the methodology of the Working Groups. Mr. Estrada briefly
explained the background and history of regional co-operation in natural disasters and
their prevention and mitigation within ACS countries. Mr. Ravelli continued the
presentation with the methodology of the Working Groups, emphasizing the four priority
areas. He proposed that as suggested during the Second Meeting of the Technical Group, the
Special Committee should be divided into two working groups. The first group would work on
the first two priority areas, specifically, analysis of Floods and Earthquakes and Early
Warning Systems for Floods and Swells. The second group would focus on Training, Education
and Awareness Programmes, in addition to Strengthening the capacity of the DMO’s.
The meeting agreed with the suggestion to create the two
working groups and their methodology. The following groups were established:
Group number One:
Group number Two:
Grenada
Mexico
Mexico
El Salvador
Guatemala
Cuba
Netherlands
Antilles
Colombia
El
Salvador
Haiti
Cuba
Trinidad
& Tobago
CEPREDENAC
Jamaica
University
of Puerto Rico
CDERA
UNDAC
PAHO
The second day of the Meeting commenced with several
presentations by the different agencies for the prevention and mitigation of natural
disasters and by the Mexican Representative.
The first presentation was delivered by
Katarina Toll Velásquez, Officer for Humanitarian Matters of the Field Coordination
Support Unit (FCSU), with respect to the United Nations Disaster Assessment and
Coordination System.(UNDAC). The presentation included the following matters:
- Principles of international response in
light of natural disasters.
- Actors involved in coordination.
- Support structure for the countries of the United
Nations (UN).
- History of the UNDAC system.
- Concept of the UNDAC.
- Countries/organizations in the UNDAC system.
- Methodology of the UNDAC.
- Teams used in UNDAC missions.
- UNDAC missions for 2000.
- Missions carried out in Latin America between
1996-2000.
Professor Aurelio Mercado Irizarry of the University of
Puerto Rico, delivered the second presentation which focused on the Warning and Mitigation
Programme in the case of Tsunamis in Puerto Rico. The report addressed the six principal
working areas of the programme:
1. Identification of the
areas that may be possibly affected by flooding as a result of a Tsunami.
2. Education and Awareness Programmes for the
community, on areas that may be possibly affected.
3. Study of seismic wave signals provided by
different sources in the Caribbean region.
4. Development of Warning
messages and the Protocol to be followed in the event that a possible Tsunami is detected.
5. Development of a database
on the history of Tsunamis in the Caribbean.
6. Promote Puerto Rico’s participation in
different programmes and federal and international initiatives, with respect to
researching and mitigating the damages caused by Tsunamis.
The third presentation was delivered by the CRID
Representative, Ms. Margarita Villalobos, who also referred to organizational issues,
providing information on other matters in addition to the following:
-
Main CRID activities.
-
Permanent
challenges.
-
Recommendations
for hemispheric meetings and conferences.
-
Aims and objectives of
the strategy selected and related strategies.
-
Structure of the
organization.
-
Distribution of
responsibilities.
-
Inter-Agency Group and
its Working Groups
-
Role of the
Secretariat.
-
The
2000 campaign, which is based on Education, the Youth and Disaster
Reduction. One topic in particular is that
of Forest Fires.
-
Activities and
programmes that will continue being carried out, for example: Early
Warning Systems
-
Mission Statement:
Development of a culture of prevention in
Latin American and Caribbean Countries, through the distribution of information and the
promotion of co-operation efforts, in order to thereby improve risk management in the
region.
Following this, was a period for questions. With respect
to the presentation made by the University of Puerto Rico, several concerns were expressed
on the underwater volcano in Grenada “Kick’em Jenny” and the possibility of
it seriously affecting the island of Grenada, as well as other neighbouring islands. There
was also concern for the qualification of the risk that a landslide or an underwater
volcanic eruption could occur. Mr. Mercado explained that he could not affirm that these
events will take place, but we should not rule out the possibility that they may occur.
Regarding the qualification of the risk, he stated that in fact, there is no difference,
since they have both awakened serious concerns.
Concerning the CRID presentation, the Chairman
emphasized that it would be worthwhile to have greater participation from Member Countries
in said system.
With respect to the UNDAC report, reference was made to
the need to train and educate the population. Ms. Toll explained that this is being taken
into consideration, but that assistance can only be given based on the request made by the
Authorities of the respective countries. Assistance is provided in consultation with the
requesting Government, and under its supervision.
The fourth presentation was delivered by Mr. Oscar
Navarro Garate, General Coordinator for Civil Protection of Mexico, and focused on
earthquakes and Early Warning Systems. Mr. Navarro stressed that special attention had to
be placed on the manual on “Risk Zones in Community Centres, how are they identified?”,
and on the book entitled “Courses on seismic safety, in training the directors
responsible for such work”, which may be found among the documents distributed and in
others that are made available for interested countries.
Dr. Barbara Carby, the Jamaican Representative,
delivered a presentation on the Warning System in the case of Flooding; in her
presentation she referred to the following issues:
- Warning system in the case of flooding and its
applications.
- Causes of flooding.
- Concepts that have been traditionally used for warning
in the case of flooding.
- ODPEM incorporates the precaution.
- Programme to reduce the losses caused by flooding.
- Computerized warning system in the case of flooding.
- Community warning system during floods.
- Benefits of the community systems.
- Joint efforts.
The Jamaican presenter also mentioned that an Early
Warning System was put in place for Jamaica’s largest river bed. Similarly, she
referred to the importance of developing systems in such a manner that they could be
easily understood by the community, and that the community could be trained and educated
on the functioning of the system.
The sixth and final presentation was delivered by the
CDERA Representative, Mr. Jeremy Collymore, who referred to Institutional Capacity as well
as Institutional Cooperation. He placed particular emphasis on the Institution’s
focal points in Jamaica, Barbuda, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados.
The second session commenced with a video presentation
by the UNDAC, which addressed the following issues with respect to this Organization:
-
staff training
-
mobilization
-
direction
-
execution
-
consolidation
-
shelter
-
presentation of reports
Following
the video presentation, the Secretariat Representative gave a brief explanation of the
Natural Disaster projects presented to the Special Fund by the Committee on Natural
Disasters. He further explained that during the Second Meeting of the Technical Group, a
selection was made, and of the eleven projects presented, the following three qualified as
being related to the priority areas identified by the survey:
1. Project No.
2 "Updating Wind and Earthquake Codes in the various countries of the
ACS and their placement on the Internet and/or
CD-ROM". This project was presented by the ACS Secretariat on behalf of UWI/CDMRC,
who will serve as the executing agency. This project was recently approved by the Special
Fund and is already being executed.
2. Project No.
4 "A Regional Disaster Management Training Programme, consisting of a
Demonstration Project, Training, Workshops and Simulations”. The ACS presented this project on behalf of
CDERA/CEPREDENAC, who will serve as joint executing agencies. Mr. Estrada explained that
during the Second Meeting of the Technical Group, it was suggested that this project be
reviewed by the petitioning agencies, and that it be once again submitted for the
consideration of said Technical Group at its next meeting, toward its subsequent final
approval by the Special Committee.
3. Project No.
11 " Developing co-operation between Cuba and the countries of the Association of
Caribbean States for the Protection of Animals in cases of Hydro-meteorological Natural
Disasters and severe Epizootics”. This project was presented by the Sociedad Cubana
de Medicina Veterinaria Para Casos de Desastres (Cuban Society of Veterinarian Medicine
for Cases of Disasters) (NGO). The Ministry of Foreign Investment and Economic
Collaboration of Cuba will serve as the executing agency. It was suggested at the
Technical Meeting, that this project be presented to the Special Committee, indicating
that it does not meet the criteria establish, but should be taken into consideration,
assuming that it will be restructured by the petitioner.
The Secretariat Representative mentioned that new
projects should be presented within the four priority areas identified by the survey. One
issue to be considered with respect to the Special Committee, is that meetings are not
always attended by the same individuals, therefore there can be no continuity. He also
mentioned that there is a manual for preparing projects, and that its format should be
observed when projects are being formulated.
The
Chairman reported that the Special Fund will take into consideration the suggestions made
regarding the projects presented by the Technical Group. In addition, she stated that we
should not overlook the fact that the process for receiving funding is neither quick nor
easy, since the Special Fund in itself, does not have a large quantity of funds.
The
Chairman then invited the representatives of the groups to present the conclusions arrived
at, based on their discussions during their working sessions held the previous day.
Mr.
Oscar Navarro Garate, of Mexico, served as the Spokesperson for Group No.1, which focused
its sessions on the activities that could be carried out in the following priority areas: Floods and Analysis of Earthquakes and Early
Warning Systems in the event of Flooding and Swells. His report is as follows:
1. NAME
OF PROJECT :
Establishment of National Systems for Early Warning and for Detecting Vulnerability Risks
in Seismic Zones.
2. OBJECTIVES
:
· That each
country would have an Early Warning System based on the analysis of hydro-meteorological
risk, in order to reduce the loss of life, patrimony and material goods.
· Identification
and analysis of the vulnerability risks in seismic zones.
3. EXPECTED
RESULTS :
- To have standardized technical gauging systems and scientific evaluation for each phenomenon that represents a threat.
-
To have
the list of maps displaying existing risks.
-
To have
the list of warning systems.
-
To have
additional communication systems.
-
Distribution
and warning systems.
-
Simulation
procedures.
-
Informative
material for education and training.
-
Recommendations
on legislation, standardization and certification.
4. SIGNIFICANCE
:
5. EVENTUAL
NECESSARY RESOURCES:
-
Gauging
equipment.
-
Computer
equipment and software.
-
Advisors
and experts.
-
Technical/scientific
staff.
-
Funding
for travel.
-
Funding
for various supplies.
-
Funding
for work meetings.
-
Funding
for field trips.
-
Funding
for extensive social distribution and communication.
6. OTHER
REQUESTED PROJECTS:
-
Incorporate
the recommendations and the resulting risk maps into the formal study plans.
-
Prepare
educational and training material, which will allow the population to adjust to the early
warning system.
7. PROJECT
COORDINATORS AND MEMBERS:
-
Specialists
with experience and sensitivity (engineers, geologists, meteorologists, volcanists,
hydrologists, seismologists, geographers, GIS technicians, disaster specialists,
communicators, sociologists, psychologists etc).
8. BUDGET
QUOTED IN AMERICAN DOLLARS (DESIGN STAGE), TIME STIPULATED FOR THE PROJECT IN THE MONTH:
-
US$500,000.00
9. ASSISTANCE
FROM THE ACS SECRETARIAT:
-
To
encourage socialization and the distribution of information in all Member Countries.
10. TYPE OF INTERNAL AND
EXTERNAL COMMUNICATION:
-
Work
meetings and field trips.
-
E-mail and
internet.
-
Telephone/fax.
-
Quarterly
information bulletin.
-
Distribution by
the media.
ASSISTANCE
FOR MEMBER COUNTRIES:
-
Infrastructure
and equipment.
-
Database
consisting of existing information.
-
Diverse
cartographic information and aerial photographs.
-
Technical/scientific
information.
-
Technical
and support staff.
Mr.
Joaquín Alberto Cortez of El Salvador, served as the Spokesperson for Group No.2, which
focused on the co-operation initiatives that could be carried out in the following
priority areas: Training, Education and Awareness Programmes and Strengthening the
Capacity of the Disaster Management Organizations. The report is as follows:
TOPICS ASSIGNED:
-
Training, education and awareness
programmes
-
Strengthening the Emergency
Management Organizations
-
Identify existing information and
its location
a) Lessons learnt
b) Technical Development
- Share information (from CRID, CARDIN, CDERA, CEPREDENAC, Member Countries).
- Select information based on its quality.
- Translate relevant information in areas of interest.
- Disseminate information via the network and other means.
- Plan and execute co-operation activities.
1. NAME OF PROJECT:
-
Activity
References and Documents related to the Four Priority Areas.
2. OBJECTIVES :
-
Utilize
the existing disaster information centres in order to create a background and appropriate
information related to the activities in the priority areas of the ACS .
-
Ensure
that this information is available for all disaster related Websites as well as agencies.
3. EXPECTED RESULTS:
1. Use
the information as a guide for the co-operation activities of the ACS.
2. Strengthen
co-operation between CRID and CARDIN.
3. SIGNIFICANCE:
-
This
project is essential for promoting the mandate to share information with the ACS.
Moreover, it allows the execution of activities and the use of resources in co-operation
mechanisms to be rationalized.
-
The
project falls within the framework of the mandates of CRID and CARDIN, which are regular
entities that are already in existence, whose resources will cover part of the execution
of the project.
-
The
information existing in regional organizations will be used, in addition to that found in
national organizations related to disasters.
-
Resources
will be necessary for documents to be translated into the different languages spoken in
the ACS Member States.
5. OTHER
REQUESTED PROJECTS:
-
It
may be necessary to develop a strategy for translating documents. When ACS Member States
have the capacity to do so, they could translate at least one document.
6. PROJECT
COORDINATORS AND MEMBERS:
- CARDIN
Members :
Documentation Centres in ACS Member Countries
7. ASSISTANCE FROM THE ACS SECRETARIAT:
-
The
ACS Secretariat will report on and prepare the project proposals if necessary.
8. TYPE
OF INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL COMMUNICATION:
-
The
communication mechanisms existing in CRID and CARDIN will be used.
-
The
Technical Group will be responsible for ensuring that the information is accurate.
Assistance can be requested from experts in the different fields when necessary.
9. ASSISTANCE
FROM MEMBER COUNTRIES:
-
A
strategy must be defined for obtaining additional funds.
-
Also,
each ACS Member State will assist in translating at least one document.
The Special Committee reviewed the summary of the
co-operation initiatives proposed by both groups. Based on subsequent discussions and
the recommendations put forward by CDERA,
Mexico and the Netherlands Antilles, the Special Committee reached the following
agreements, pointing out that they would be presented to the Ministerial Council:
- The results of the survey represent priority areas in
order to shape co-operation among ACS Member States.
- The proposals
presented by both groups need to be refined, and it was suggested that this task be given
to the Technical Group, which will draft the Terms of Reference for any kind of proposal
that requires the mobilization of resources.
- The
ACS Secretariat should play a more active role.
- The proposals
should form part of the ACS Work Programme for Disaster Management, which will be drafted
in order to be submitted for the consideration of the Ministerial Council.
- In order to
facilitate the continuation of the work started by the groups of the Special Committee,
said Committee recommended that both groups remain permanent.
- The ACS Secretariat will serve as a facilitator for the
development and preparation of a list of activities, projects and documents related to the
four Priority areas, as well as those in the complementary areas emerging from the ACS
Regional Mechanism for Prevention, Mitigation and Preparation in the Area of Natural
Disasters, within the guidelines already established by the ACS.
- In
enhancing this Mechanism, efforts should be made toward obtaining support from the ISDR in
requesting funding for this Initiative.
Mr.
Estrada, the Secretariat Representative, stated that the Secretariat could play a more
active role, but additional human resources would be necessary. At the close of November,
an expert financed by France, will commence work at the ACS Secretariat. Said expert will
focus on the possibilities of obtaining funds and attracting other experts, according to
the needs presented. Moreover, Mr. Estrada called on the delegations to present to their
relevant authorities, the “Agreement among ACS Member and Associate Member States for
Regional Co-operation in the Area of Natural Disasters”, for the purpose of achieving
its ratification, without which co-operation cannot be developed at the desired level.
The
Chairman of the Council of National Representatives of the ACS Special Fund, reported that
Mexico would like to obtain support from the Rio Group. He also mentioned the
international strategy for natural disaster reduction prepared by the Rio Group, and further recommended that this be taken into
consideration by the ACS Special Committee on Natural Disasters.
Following
this, the Colombian Representative, the Chargé d’affaires of the Colombian Embassy
in El Salvador, Mr. José Ángel Aldana Guerrero, conveyed his thanks to the Government of
El Salvador for the warm welcome received and the excellent organizing of the meeting. He
congratulated the Executive Board of the Special Committee for the manner in which the
meeting was conducted. He then expressed his support for the recommendations put forward
by the Chairman of the Council of National Representatives of the Special Fund, to
incorporate the work carried out by the Rio Group, taking into account that almost half of
the States present also form part of said Group.
The Chairman pointed out that the Meeting was not
attended by those countries suffering great losses as a result of the occurrence of
natural disasters, and asked that this be recorded. She suggested that the Secretariat
contact these countries, and further added that they be invited to participate at
Meetings. The Secretariat Representative made it clear that these countries have been
invited to take part in the meetings, but regrettably, many of them are not equipped with
the budgetary resources necessary to do so.
Finally, on behalf of
Dr. María Eugenia Brizuela de Ávila, Minister of Foreign Affairs of El
Salvador, Dr. Cubías presented apologies for her absence at the meeting due to other
commitments. She then declared the meeting concluded and expressed her satisfaction with
its quality and the number of delegations present. She also stated that she was pleased
with the results achieved at the meeting, and added that the concrete co-operation
initiatives obtained can depend on support from her Ministry.