Disaster law in the Americas

Latest News and Publications:

News:

Hurricane Sandy brings the Sixth Committee's annual debate on disasters into focus (December 2012)
Association of Caribbean States adopts IDRL and the Model Act as permanent activities (December 2012)
Regional seminar in the Americas and the Caribbean analyzes customs' role in international disaster response (December 2012)
IDRL progress in Mexico: interview (October 2012)
Colombian Red Cross committed to strengthen legal preparedness for disasters (October 2012)
Ecuadorian Red Cross and IFRC will support Ecuador strengthen its legal preparedness to disasters (October 2012)
Study on Colombia’s law on international disaster assistance launched (August 2012)
National Societies of the Americas create new network on disaster law (August 2012)
Experts from the Americas provide comments on the Model Act on IDRL (August 2012)
Jamaica Red Cross and ODPEM (Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management) organise an IDRL Workshop (August 2012)
Panama workshop moves the Americas closer to its first disaster law compendium (December 2011)
Barbados hosts the Caribbean`s first IDRL workshop (December 2011)
Haiti workshop highlights the role of IDRL (September 2011)
Seminar on promoting international norms for international disaster assistance held in Chile (September 2011)
Buffeted by landslides, Brazil examines the role of law (June 2011)
Bogota workshop sharpens IDRL recommendations (June 2011)
Latin American and Carribean governments commit to examining their disaster laws at regional conference (June 2011)
Latin America develops Regional Legal Compendium to tackle disaster response issues (March 2011)
Colombia shares its disaster response experiences (March 2011)

Publications:

IDRL in Colombia summary version in English or full report in Spanish(April 2012)
Disasters in America: The case for legal preparedness (June 2011)
Law of Disasters: Towards a Normative Framework in the Americas (OAS –Organisation of American States)

Country projects:

Events:

Joint WCO/OCHA/IFRC workshop on customs administration, Santo Domingo, 3rd quarter 2012
Caribbean Workshop on Disaster Law: International Norms, Problem Areas and Future Directions, Bridgetown, October 19-21, 2011

Selected regional instruments: