PREDECAN: Final Report

Abstract

As in many parts of the world, the Andean Community Member States face enormous challenges that seriously threaten the development of the region, such as the disordered growth of its cities and the concentration of 75% of its population in urban areas, overexposure of natural resources and the accelerated changes in land use. The sub-region is a territory prone to earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions given its location within the Pacifi c Ring of Fire . All this, together with the certainty that the climate will keep changing and extreme hydro-meteorological events will keep increasing, confi rms a continuous process of risk construction.Acknowledging the diff erent existing risk factors, and as a consequence of the El Niño Phenomenon in 1997 - 1998, multiple meetings took place leading tothe creation in 2002 of the Andean Committee for Disaster Prevention and Relief - CAPRADE - by the Andean Council of Ministers of Foreign Aff airs - CAMRE, as well as the approval of the Andean Strategy for Disaster Prevention and Relief (EAPAD). Both initiatives were created to reduce vulnerability of the population and their livelihoods and contribute to the sustainable development of the member countries of the Andean Community (CAN).In parallel, and with the same goals, the Andean Community Disaster Prevention Project - PREDECAN was prepared and approved through Decision 555 of the CAMRE in June 2003, fi nanced with cooperationresources from the European Union and the Member States of the Andean Community and implemented by the General Secretariat of the CAN, in coordination with CAPRADE.In the implementation process of the Andean Strategy, the PREDECAN Project has played a role of facilitating and catalyzing proposals from each of the countries from the Andean Community, in order to implement the proposals contained in the thematic axis, programs, subprograms and strategies of the Andean Strategy. The continuous training processes promoted and facilitated by PREDECAN, with more than 8 500 participants, have openly contributed an integrated approach to risk intervention that, in parallel, aims at avoiding the creation of new risks, reducing existing risks and capacity-building to respond to disasters.In an explicit manner, risk management has begun to be inserted in the institutionality of each of the countries, acknowledging the experience of the entities, promoting the participation of actors who traditionally have not been involved in the topic and technically accompanying organizations and national and local government departments in the creation of new areas and intervention tools.The implementation of activities of the PREDECAN Project were posible thanks to the participation and commitment of multiple actors from the governments at the diff erent territorial scales, the scientifi c and academic community, regional and international organizations, organized and non-organized civil society, volunteers and some representatives of the private sector. That is how the development of PREDECAN activities has relevant signifi cance, not only because it has allowed the articulation of representatives from diff erent territorial levels, but also because it has been a very important element in favour of sustainable development. It is imperative at this moment that the diff erent actors maintain a stable and constant commitment that allows the continuity of the implementation of the Andean Strategy. The challenge now is to continue exploring the paths proposed during these years. Each institution and each profesional must make an eff ort to continue with this permanent improvement process and to face the challenges that will appear on the way.