UK supports WFP, UNICEF and CONRED on the prevention of humanitarian crises in Guatemala
The Department for International Development (DfID) funded in Guatemala a workshop aimed at anticipating imminent disasters associated with flooding and people management in risk areas or urban zones.
The training was implemented by the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), together with the National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (CONRED) of Guatemala. The seminar-workshop “Risk scenarios of flooding, mass wasting and activators in urban areas and preparation of technical reports” was held from the 4th to 8th of July, in Guatemala City and the department of Escuintla
The criteria, methods of assessment and development of risk scenarios according to different threats were addressed during the training. All tailored to regional and sectorial conditions of Guatemala. The training also developed comprehensive responses to the increase in the number, frequency of disasters and new humanitarian scenarios like droughts, migrations and unconventional violence.
Municipal authorities from different municipalities, CONRED’s staff, the Ministry of National Defence and the humanitarian team for the country took part in the training. The seminar is part of a regional £18 million DFID funded project, benefiting Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama.
The inauguration of the seminar was chaired by Mario Touchette, representative and director of the WFP in Guatemala; Christian Skoog, representative and director of UNICEF; Andrew Tate, Deputy Head of Mission of the British Embassy in Guatemala on behalf of DFID; and Marco Antonio Barahona, Deputy Executive secretary of Integral Risk Management for CONRED.
Andrew Tate, from the British Embassy, said that DfID leads UK work to end extreme poverty. One of its priorities is to help save lives when humanitarian disasters impact.