Disaster Risk Governance in Central America - Final phase

The overall goal is a more efficient disaster risk management, which succeeds in reducing losses of human lives and damages from disasters, thus contributing to poverty reduction and to a more sustainable development, in line with the priorities of the Sendai Framework for DRR and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Anticipating the closure of SDC's Central American programme in 2024, this will be the last phase of this project, focusing on consolidating unfinished work flows such as the INSARAG Recognized National Accreditation Processes (IRNAP) for Search and Rescue (SAR) teams. It will reinforce the performance of CEPREDENAC with an ISO 9001 certification, as well as promote the adoption of the Core Humanitarian Standard on quality and accountability. Apart from supporting CEPREDENAC directly, a phasing over will take place to two UN partners in the region: UNDRR and OCHA (see "contract partners" below).

Direct: 2'500 technicians and members of USAR teams

Indirect: 10 million people living in high risk areas

Relating to the governance of DRR in general:

1. Improved governance of disaster risk through a strengthened articulation between CEPREDENAC and the national systems, and the inclusion of different perspectives and actions of the rest of the public and private actors of society in the region

2. CEPREDENAC and the national civil protection and risk management systems apply improved institutional mechanisms for monitoring, advocacy and accountability of national and regional integrated disaster risk management plans

Relating to the governance of disaster response:

3. Regional actors and national systems apply instruments for humanitarian coordination to respond effectively, efficiently and in a timely manner to disaster situations, articulated with international humanitarian principles and architecture

A capitalization of the knowledge developed by SDC's regional DRR programme since the year 2000 will also contribute to improve regional DRR governance.

Resultados previstos:  

1. Coordination and information management mechanisms strengthened between the instances in charge of processing and generating information and decision makers
2. Improved risk governance integrating the perspective of actors from all of society (government institutions, private sector, civil society), reactivating participatory DRR processes
3. Countries have capacities and institutional mechanisms for accountability of risk management articulated with Sendai goals
4. SE/CEPREDENAC has significantly improved its capacity and internal processes for quality and internal management to efficiently support the countries of the region
5. Technicians from regional and national bodies trained in relevant topics for disaster response
6. CEPREDENAC has a humanitarian norm / principles on quality and accountability adapted for humanitarian dialogue
7. Knowledge from SDC's 25 years' engagement in DRR is systematised and transmitted

Resultados de las fases anteriores:  

1. Disaster preparedness was increased through the equipment and training of search and rescue (SAR) teams; national accreditation processes for SAR teams were started; the bases for regional cooperation in case of disasters were laid through a regional simulation exercise and a legal basis for regional cooperation in disaster response
2. The strengthening of regional and national governance mechanisms for DRR in general has not yet achieved the foreseen results
3. DRR was integrated in a series of key university programmes. This project component is deemed sustainably achieved, although some doubts remain on the quality of the DRR integration
4. The component on earthquake early warning, developed by Swiss Federal Institute of Technology of Zurich (ETHZ) has made good progress and a follow-up has already been launched under a new credit proposal number (7F-10885.01)

• United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - OCHA
• National DRR systems of Central America
• National scientific institutions tasked with hazard monitoring and early warning
• INSARAG Americas regional group

Other partners of CEPREDENAC, in particular ECHO, JICA and Taiwan

Project Earthquake Early Warning in Central America / ATTAC (in Spanish), SDC-ETHZ

Fase 2 01.07.2022 - 30.04.2024   (Completed)