President Danilo Medina headed the inauguration of the III International Conference on the HOPEFOR Initiative in Punta Cana yesterday, Tuesday 20 November, and announced the creation of the Center of Excellence for the Integrated Management, Prevention and Mitigation of Disasters in the Caribbean. The regional center is an initiative that is being coordinated by Qatar, Turkey and the Dominican Republic.
Over 200 disaster mitigation specialists, academics, researchers, representatives from civil society and governments, along with others working in the field of humanitarian assistance from 20 countries are attending the conference.
The event, which is being held at the new convention facilities at the Paradisus Palma Real, seeks to further develop mechanisms at the regional and sub regional levels to facilitate and accelerate the assistance from neighbor to neighbor, especially in the use of military and civil defense assets.
In his welcome speech to delegates, President Medina said that in the future, mutual assistance will be more effective and countries should change the will to help using preparedness and coordination so that it would transform into rapid, efficient and timely response. He said that recent events such as the earthquake in Haiti and the hurricane in the Philippines are evidence of the need for this coordinated response.
He said that the Center of Excellence would start work at the beginning of next year, bringing together a team of interdisciplinary experts from the highest levels. The Center will work to respond to any natural disaster in network countries.
He said that they were building a 3,000-square meter emergency supply center where they would store first stage emergency items to enable a rapid response.
As well as President Medina, conference participants include Hansjoerg Strohmeyer, Head of Policy Development and Studies Branch, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Ahmed Bin Mouhamad Al-Marikhy, Director of the Qatar Development Fund and Director of the Ministry of Overseas Affairs International Development Department, and Turkish deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay.
www.listindiario.com/la-republica/2013/11/19/300198/Medina-anuncia-creacion-de-un-centro-para-enfrentar-los-efectos-de-los
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