The Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA) and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) renewed their commitment to continue collaborating in line with the regional implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 to strengthen action on disaster reduction as a key element for sustainable development in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Through an exchange of letters of commitment, the Permanent Secretary of SELA, Ambassador Clarems Endara, and the Head of the Regional Office for the Americas and the Caribbean of the UNDRR, Nahuel Arenas, expressed their willingness for mutual cooperation and commitment to strategic initiatives based on the objectives established and the results obtained since the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding signed in October 2011 and endorsed by both entities in December 2015.

Among the strategies proposed are the review of progress in the implementation of the Regional Action Plan (RAP); the development of public-private partnerships for disaster resilience building; the implementation of initiatives at governmental, financial, national and international levels in the field of comprehensive disaster risk management and reduction and infrastructure; and the promotion of South-South and Triangular Cooperation mechanisms and bodies to strengthen regional action.

The renewal of the commitment for Disaster Risk Reduction in Latin America and the Caribbean, between SELA and UNDRR, is part of SELA’s Work Programme, specifically in the Social Development Area, to contribute to the improvement of social development indicators in the region in a sustainable and resilient manner.