Inter-American Conference for healthier and safer communities
(Geneva – June 3, 2007) Disasters, disease and discrimination are three of the major threats facing vulnerable communities in the Americas, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
From June 4-7, the 35 National Red Cross Societies of the American continent, including Canadian Red Cross, will meet in Guayaquil for the XVIII Inter-American Conference. The objective of the Conference is to set the International Federation’s humanitarian agenda for this very diverse region over the next four years. Representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), UNAIDS and the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) will also take part in discussions.
The Conference will develop strategies to help National Societies prepare communities better to cope with increasingly frequent disasters and other catastrophes, by preventing the spread of HIV and AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis while promoting tolerance and respect for diversity.
“The developing countries of Central and South America and the Caribbean remain alarmingly vulnerable to the impact of disasters, disease and inequalities; we must therefore scale up our efforts to ensure that communities are safer and healthier,” says the President of the International Federation, Juan Manuel Suárez del Toro.
“Even so very positive signs of economic development are apparent in the region and impressive progress is being made towards reducing poverty and disease, improving gender equality and achieving universal primary education”, he adds.
Last year alone, the International Federation’s Pan American Disaster Response Unit intervened after flooding in 13 countries of Central and South America, and at the time of volcanic eruptions in Ecuador and seismic activity in El Salvador. It is estimated that over the past decade natural disasters have led to more than 85,000 deaths in the Americas and caused more than USD 285 billion in damage.
“One of the aims of this meeting is to strengthen regional alliances between National Societies, governments, other humanitarian aid agencies and communities in order to enhance disaster preparedness, as well as public health initiatives and the fight against social exclusion,” says Juan Cueva, the President of the Ecuadorian Red Cross, which is hosting the Conference.
The holding of the XVIII Inter-American Conference will coincide with the start of the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season in June. Experts are predicting a very active storm season this year and the Red Cross on the American continent is gearing up to respond with contingency plans and support to improve the preparedness of communities.
For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact:
In Canada: Jenna Clarke, CRC Media Relations Tel. +1 613 740 1994
In Ecuador:
Susana Arroyo, IFRC Communications Delegate Tel. + 511 221 8151/+511 9755-5772
Alessandro Inio, Communications Officer for America Tel. + 41 22 730 43 57 / + 41 79 217 33 72
Cristina Medina, Ecuadorian Red Cross Tel. +593 229 54 587 / +593 982 42 765
Out-of-hours Press Service telephone Tel. + 41 79 416 38 81
The International Federation, the National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross together constitute the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. For further information on Federation activities, visit http://www.ifrc.org/.
