Introduction
In an effort to develop regional and multilateral plans for disaster preparedness and response operations, USSOUTHCOM and the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), with assistance from the Armed Forces of the Republic of Argentina, co-sponsored The Southern Cone Disaster Preparedness Seminar.
This seminar was held at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina June 13-16, 2000. Representatives from civil and military sectors from several countries were present. These countries included Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay and Spain. Participants included the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the Center for Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance (CDMHA), the Organization of American States (OAS), the Inter-American Defense Board (IADB), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Lemay Center for Composite Technology.
There were a series of presentations, panel discussions and two roundtables that provided the participants with an opportunity to elaborate on their success to date in the disaster preparedness and response operations field as well as to find ways to collaborate regionally in this area. Emphasis was placed on efforts toward further coordination of efforts in prevention, mitigation and recovery activities. The agenda is available on this web site but if you are interested in viewing each country presentation in addition to short summaries of the text and some audio and visual presentations of the seminar, please contact us at global-cdmha@hsc.usf.edu
