Disaster management agencies sign bilateral agreements

Following on-going work on a National Disaster Preparedness Baseline Assessment (NDPBA) project in Peru, two Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) were recently signed in Lima that support disaster preparedness and risk reduction for the country.

The first memorandum is an agreement between Peru’s National Center for Estimates, Prevention, and Disaster Risk Reduction (CENEPRED) and Pacific Disaster Center (PDC), for which the formal signing ceremony took place on July 14. This partnership is a result of working together closely to define shared purpose and mutual commitment, and the document formalizes a long-term arrangement that will advance disaster risk reduction practices.

CENEPRED Executive Director Guadalupe Masana and PDC Director of Disaster Services and NDPBA Project Director Dr. Erin Hughey provided confirming remarks during the ceremony. The arrangement will support work on several hazards-of-interest, with the Ubinas volcano being the most urgent concern. The next meeting with CENEPRED is planned for August, during a Second Disaster Management Knowledge Exchange.

Additionally, on Friday July 18, Peru’s National Institute of Civil Defense, INDECI, signed a MoU with the PDC to strengthen mutual support for research, technological development, and training tools for disaster preparedness, response, and rehabilitation. INDECI is PDC’s principal partner and the lead agency for disaster response in Peru. The MoU represents an agreement that will enable appropriate decision making by those responsible for the political and technical levels, related to disaster risk management in Peru.

The document was designed to sustain the relationship between INDECI and PDC beyond the current National Disaster Preparedness Baseline Assessment (NDPBA) project and is valid for three years. It was signed by the Head of INDECI, General Alfredo Murgueytio Espinoza and Dr. Hughey. General Murgueytio led the INDECI delegation, with participation by all INDECI Directorate Heads. In his comments, Murgueytio described the NDPBA project and INDECI’s relationship with PDC as “a great value to INDECI and to effective disaster management in Peru.”

The NDPBA project, requested and funded by the U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM), seeks to develop, implement, and conduct national and sub-national disaster preparedness assessments focused on risk and vulnerability identification and existing disaster management capabilities.

For more information about these activities:
• Take a look at an INDECI press release.