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Our Role

Since the 1990’s, with experiences such as hurricanes Mitch and George and flooding in Venezuela, the Red Cross has seen the need to build its capabilities in order to respond to natural disasters. Based on the lessons learned from these disasters, the International Federation has integrated new elements into the disaster response system in the Americas.

The Pan American Disaster Response Unit (PADRU) is one of the instruments added to the Red Cross’ disaster response mechanism in the Americas. The unit provides support to approximately 35 National Societies and 16 overseas branches in the region in evaluation, planning, monitoring, coordination, and support tasks during the implementation of response operations.

At its General Assembly held in Seoul, South Korea in November 2005, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies approved its Global Agenda. Its first goal is to: “Reduce the number of deaths, injuries and impact from disasters”. The Federation thus renews its mandate to mobilise the power of humanity in favour of the most vulnerable, especially when disaster strikes.

PADRU has two main roles:
 
 
  • When disaster strikes, coordinate and provide for a more efficient international response from the Red Cross in Latin America and the Caribbean.
  • When not responding to disasters, contribute to build local and regional response capacity in the National Societies.

To meet the challenge imposed by the need to reduce risks arising from disasters and based on capacity mapping in terms of the preparedness and response considered in the 27th Inter-American Conference in Chile in 2003, the 35 Red Cross National Societies in the Americas presented a disaster response system focused on the following areas:

  • Consolidation of a Red Cross comprehensive disaster management system.
  • Planning and coordination mechanisms.
  • Development of standards.
  

These system areas were later addressed and included in the Guayaquil Declaration, a result of the 28th Inter-American Conference of June 2007.

The disaster response system in the Americas is based on three levels:

  • National level: the Red Cross National Societies will have primary responsibility and be the first to respond in each of their countries.
  • Regional level: with regional tools such as PADRU. RLU, PIRAC and RIT members, as well as solidarity between neighbouring National Societies.
  • International level: with global network tools such as ERU, FACT, DREF, as well as solidarity between all the Federation’s National Societies.
  
 

PADRU is the system’s main coordination tool in close collaboration with regional representation offices and other agencies of the Federation, ensuring an effective liaison with other international systems of the Federation and other agencies. By consistently coordinating activities, this integrated system strengthens and allows working through response networks, standardizes, enhances and integrates damage and other assessment tools and mechanisms, and optimises the disaster information process.