The Regional HUB corresponds to the Humanitarian Aid Department of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) of the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Its cooperation strategy covers the 2018-2020 period.

South America is highly exposed to natural hazards such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, tsunamis, landslides, drought and cold spells. The Andean region is particularly vulnerable to the risks caused by climate variability, as well as by climate change which causes extreme events, such as cold spells and heat waves, the El Niño phenomenon, glacial hazards and forest fires.

These natural phenomena particularly affect the most vulnerable populations and people living in remote areas, such as indigenous communities with limited access to basic services and inadequate capacities to cope with crises and recover quickly. Efforts by Andean countries to prevent, prepare for and respond to disasters are still weak and insufficient.

Against this backdrop, the Humanitarian Aid Programme of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) sees the Regional Hub for Disaster Risk Reduction and Rapid Response as a key pillar of sustainable development and aid to protect people and their livelihoods against disasters and emergencies in the region.

In his opening address, Swiss Ambassador Markus-Alexander Antonietti stated “To share with you the concept of the new Regional Hub on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Rapid Response (RR), as a development and humanitarian instrument which complements the Global Cooperation and SECO initiatives in the Andes, will allow us to align our actions with yours, and together build a collective, coordinated, and harmonized vision for DRR in the Andean region that will help reduce vulnerabilities, increase resilience, and contribute to sustainable development,” he said.

Martin Jaggi, SDC Director of Cooperation, shared with the audience the portfolio of projects in course in Peru and the region, and the initiatives that will start from 2019.

Carlos Muñoz, GRR Program National Officer, presented the Regional Hub’s operational guidelines and strategy, together with the challenges and opportunities ahead, for maintaining a reasonable DRR and RR capacity in the region.

The following is a video of the event:

The event was attended by representatives and specialists from Caritas of Peru, SUNASS, SERNANP, GRACC Disaster Risk Management, CENEPRED, National Institute of Civil Defence, World Food Program, Andes Drone Solutions, Swisscontact, UNDP-OCHA Humanitarian Coordination Office, Centre for Studies and Disaster Prevention, Spanish Cooperation (AECID), Humanity & Inclusion, Helvetas Swiss Inter-cooperation, and Terre des Hommes Lausanne.

The photo gallery can be found on the following link enlace.