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Role Of PAHO in
Disaster Reduction

Emergency Preparedness
and Disaster Relief Area
Pan American
Health
Organization
 PAHO / WHO?

a. PAHO is part of the UN

system/Inter American System
b. Established in 1902
c. Regional office for WHO since 1947

Pan American
Health
Organization
 Pan American Health Organization

a.Established in 1902 by
resolution of the Second
International Conference
of the Pan American
States.

“it shall be the duty of the

International Sanitary
Bureau to lend its best aid
and experience toward the
widest possible protection
of the public health of each
of the Republics”
Pan American
Health
Organization
 WHO Regional Office for the Americas
In 1949, the Director-General of
the World Health Organization and
the Director of the Pan American
Sanitary Bureau signed the
agreement recognizing the Pan
American Sanitary Bureau as the
Regional Office of the World
Health Organization for the
Americas.

Pan American
Health
Organization
 PAHO’s Presence in the
Region

* Technical
representative

CFNI

CAREC
INCAP

CEPIS
PANAFTOSA
Headquarters INPPAZ BIREME
CLAP
Country Offices
Centers

Pan American
Health
Organization
Pan American
Health
Organization
Based on lessons learned from
disasters…

• PAHO Directing Council established PED by

Resolution in 1976 from a after series of disasters
(70, 72, 76)
• Earthquake of Mexico ,…
• Hurricane Mitch,….
• Tsunami, Katrina,….
• H1N1 pandemic
• Haiti earthquake…

Pan American
Health
Organization
 Scope

Technological and Natural “Complex

biological Disasters Disasters ”
Disasters

Pan American
Health
Organization
 30 years of evolution in
disaster management in the region

• From mainly ad hoc response, to preparedness, to risk

reduction for major (not yet all) disasters
• From working only with MoH (casualty management) to
cooperate with key sectors (MoH, civil defenses, public
works, military, legislative bodies, ministries of foreign
affairs)
• From building a group of specialist approach to a wider
institutional engagement (cross cutting issue)
• One of the Public Health Funcion
Pan American
Health
Organization
 The Americas

Countries and territories of Latin America and the

Caribbean are highly vulnerable to a variety of adverse
hazards both natural and man-made.

Pan American
Health
Organization
 In house changes:

• PAHO/WHO Directives and Norms since 1990 * :

– Establishment of Disaster Task Force at PAHO
HQ (composition, activation, and functions)
– Designation of Disaster Focal Points
– Define role and functions. PED and PWRs
– Administrative Chapter
– Emergency Operation Center at HQ
–…
Pan American
Health
*intranet.paho.org
Organization
Structure of PED DIRECTOR /
Deputy Director

Operations
Area Manager, Specialist
PED

Partnerships,
Disaster
Emergency Advocacy &
Preparedness Information
& Mitigation Response
Management

Subregional Disaster
Offices
Caribbean Central America South America

Pan American
Health
Organization
 Map LAC with
PED presence

Pan American
Health
Organization
Pan American
Health
Organization
Pan American
Health
Organization
Pan American
Health
Organization
Pan American
Health
Organization
 Local solutions

Pan American
Health
Organization
 STRATEGY

A secure and
disaster-resilient
health sector in
the Americas

Pan American Health Organization

Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Relief
Pan American
Health
Organization
 Vision

“A future when there is adequate, nationally-led

and sustained capacity to reduce disaster risk
in the health sector, both to prevent damage
to infrastructure and service delivery
and to provide a timely
and effective response to disasters.”

Pan American
Health
Organization
 Achieving the Vision
1. The core pillars of our programming:
Disaster preparedness, mitigation and response,
which form

2. Supporting our member states and their health

sectors in developing its capacity.

3. Focus on new initiatives and ways of working to

meet the challenges that a external entity can
best address.

Pan American
Health
Organization
 Strategic Objectives

1. Improving disaster preparedness capacity in the

health sector
2. Protecting health services from the risk of disasters
3. Being ready to support countries to respond to
disaster events in the health sector
4. Forging deeper relationships with our national and
international partners
5. Mainstreaming health disaster risk reduction across
all our institutional partners

Pan American
Health
Organization
 Strengthening Institution

• Support the creation of national programs

(technical staff, funding, access to the
decision-making level)
• Promote intersectoral cooperation

Pan American
Health
Organization
 Strengthening Institutions

We also work with...

• Mass media
• Armed forces
• Industry/private sector
• NGOs and volunteers
• Parliaments
• Public opinion, schools
• Others…

Pan American
Health
Organization
Training, Workshops,
Meetings..

• Emergency health management

• Hospital preparedness and mitigation
• Environmental health management (water and
sanitation)
• Supply management (SUMA)
• Mass media and public information
• Community preparedness
• Technical and independent health information
• Leaders course: Management on Health, Disasters and
Development
Pan American
Health
Organization
 University Training

• Introduction of disaster management studies in

undergraduate and post-graduate curricula

• Promotion of distance
learning over the Internet

• Masters degree

• Collaborating Centers

Pan American
Health
Organization
 Scientific Publications
www.paho.org/disasters

Pan American
Health
Organization
 Virtual Health Library
for Disasters

• The Global Virtual Library of Essential Information Resources on Public Health for
Disasters and Complex Emergencies
Pan American
Health
Organization
 FROM SUMA

• SUMA – Supply management System

• A collective effort of Caribbean and Latin American
countries to sort, classify and inventory incoming relief
supplies.
• Coordination tool to aid humanitarian organizations in
the gathering and transparent management of
information on supplies during emergencies.
• Any humanitarian agency providing information have in
return information on what others are doing

Pan American
Health
Organization
 Who was the donkey… ?

Pan American
Health
Organization
 LSS/SUMA promotes:

• Intersectoral coordination
• Transparency
• Efficient management of relief supplies in
a chaotic environment

Pan American
Health
Organization
Regional Disaster Information Center
for Latin America
and the Caribbean

Disaster management is, above all else,

management of information.
www.crid.desastres.net/crid

Pan American
Health
Organization
 PAHO main “clients”
reaching the population through:

• National and health disaster coordinators

• Focal point in Areas and PWR’s
• Network of national experts
• Collaborating Centers

Pan American
Health
Organization
 PAHO main partners
Reaching the population with the collaboration of:

• Inter-governmental disaster related institutions

– CDERA
– CEPREDENAC
– CAPRADE
– REHU
• UN
– OCHA, Office Coordination in Panama,
– WFP
– UNICEF
– ISDR
• Red Cross Movement: IFRC, ICRC, National Societies
• OAS, ACS, CAN, MERCOSUR
• FUNDACRID, FUNDESUMA, UWI, etc
• Partnership in Health PHP: CIDA, USAID/OFDA, DFID, EU, AECI, WB
Pan American
Health
Organization
 Increase in inter-regional
cooperation
• Exchange of trained human resources:
– Preparedness, response and risk reduction
• Safe Hospitals
• Humanitarian Assistance
• Supply Management System (SUMA/LSS):
• Technical topics:
– Management of dead bodies
– Field Hospitals
– Mental Health
– Chemical Emergencies…
Pan American
Health
Organization
 Internacional actors

WB ISDR UNHCR
CARE
CDC ECHO USAID
CIDA MERCOSUR/REHU
OCHA
Others
OXFAM IADB CARICOM/CDERA
OAS DFID WFP
CRS IICA PAHO/WHO
IDB ICRC
SICA/CEPREDENAC UNFPA PADF
MSF UNICEF CAN/CAPRADE

Pan American ORAS/CONHU IFRC

Health
Organization
 Complementarity

• A sophisticated humanitarian coordination system already

exists at the national, sub-regional and global level:

– Civil defense and emergency committees

– CDERA, CEPREDENAC, CAPRADE, …
– UN System: ERC, OCHA, Clusters, CERF, …
– NGOs and Red Cross Coordination mechanisms
– OAS: IACNDR, Preparedness and Response Group, …

Pan American
Health
Organization
Pan American
Health
Organization
 The Final Goal

• Adequate, nationally-led and sustained capacity to

reduce disaster risk and to provide a timely
and effective response to disasters.

Pan American
Health
Organization
 A Comprehensive Approach

• Improving the Inter-American System’s response

cannot be dissociated from strengthening the national
disaster risk reduction and response capacity.
• Enhance national and international assistance to
populations affected by natural disasters by:
– strengthening and complementing the local response
capacity
– improving the quality and appropriateness of external
assistance

Pan American
Health
Organization
 ..

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Emergency Preparedness and

Disaster Relief

www.paho.org/disasters
Pan American
Health
Organization