Open registration for RP23

Registration for the VIII Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas and the Caribbean (RP23) opened yesterday during the official launch of the event, which will take place from 28 February to 2 March in Punta del Este, Uruguay.

During the launch, held at the National Emergency System (Sinae) in the Executive Tower in Uruguay, Raul Salazar, head of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) - regional office for the Americas and the Caribbean, highlighted the importance of multi-sectoralism to advance in the development of resilience. In this regard, he highlighted the importance of science and technology.

"The VIII Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction takes science and technology as a central theme, if we want to deepen the broader and interconnected understanding of risks, we need this knowledge," said Salazar. Indeed, the main focus of the RP23 is Science and Technology for Integrated Disaster Risk Management.

Sergio Rico, national director of Sinae, emphasized the need to understand risk in order to reduce it and avoid it. "We have to build a culture of prevention, to become a community better prepared to manage emergencies, to be more resilient," he said.

The Government of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay and UNDRR invite governments, intergovernmental organizations, the private sector, civil society, scientific-technological communities, youth, cooperation agencies and donors, as well as other relevant actors in the Americas and the Caribbean, to register for the RP23 to exchange experiences and facilitate decision-making for the implementation of the Sendai Framework in the region.

The launch of the RP23 marked the start of the 5th Risk Reduction Week, in commemoration of the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, celebrated every 13 October, which this year focuses on Target G of the Sendai Framework, which proposes to substantially increase the availability of and access to multi-hazard early warning systems and disaster risk information and assessments to people by 2030.