Sumario: 25 July 2007, Brussels - In line with its commitment to support Disaster Risk Reduction, the European Commission has allocated €18 million from the humanitarian aid budget to improve the capacities of communities at risk in the Caribbean, South America and South Asia, so that they can better prepare for and protect themselves against natural disasters. The funds will be channelled through the Commission's humanitarian aid department (ECHO) under the direct responsibility of Commissioner Louis Michel. With these DIPECHO (Disaster Preparedness ECHO) decisions, the Commission is underlining its commitment to improve the capacities of communities at risk from natural disasters, in line with the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015.
Three decisions - one for each region - have been adopted and will target the most vulnerable local communities and their institutions, those at greatest risk from natural hazards and with the lowest coping capacities, so that they will be better able to save lives and protect livelihoods if disaster strikes. The decisions also aim to improve advocacy for Disaster Risk Reduction measures by means of better exchange of information, documentation of lessons learned and best practices which can
be replicated and therefore sustained.
These three regions are particularly vulnerable to natural disasters such as volcanoes, earthquakes, hurricanes/cyclones, tropical storms, drought, floods and landslides. The losses and destruction that result from such disasters are very significant from a social and economic point of view and reduce the development potential of the three regions.
As well as large-scale disasters, these regions, particularly South America and South Asia, are frequently hit by small-scale disasters which affect communities who are already very vulnerable, causing considerable damage to their livelihood. This highlights the ongoing need for disaster preparedness activities and the significance of community-based disaster risk reduction efforts, which enable the communities concerned to mitigate hazards and prepare themselves for future natural
disasters.
The Commission is a major donor for such "people-centred" initiatives that aim to create models which can be replicated and scaled up by governments and development agencies within the Disaster Risk Reduction framework.
The strategies of the three DIPECHO Action Plans have been defined in close co-operation with non-governmental and international organisations, local authorities and other stakeholders, within the framework of consultative meetings.
€ 4 million will go to the Caribbean region, € 6.5 million to South America and € 7.5 million to South Asia.
More information:
http://ec.europa.eu/echo/field/dipecho/index_en.htm
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