Central America joins the region’s efforts to prepare for risk management in relation to cultural heritage

The countries of Latin America and the Caribbean exchanged knowledge and experiences on the relationship between disaster risk reduction and the protection of cultural heritage to strengthen the resilience of cities. This exchange was carried out virtually, on Thursday, November 4, 2021, at the Learning Laboratory on Heritage Management and Disaster Risk Reduction as part of the VII Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in the Americas and the Caribbean, sponsored by Jamaica.

This Learning Laboratory was organized by UNESCO, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the Caribbean Agency for Disaster Emergency Management (CDEMA), with support from AECOM of the University ‘G . d’Annunzio ‘from Chieti-Pescara (Italy). Around 40 representatives of the emergency care and cultural heritage management sectors from multiple countries in the region participated in the testing of an indicator tool to integrate the protection of cultural heritage into disaster risk reduction strategies. .

This learning space allowed the presentation of the indicator tool and a practical exercise to put it to the test. During the session, representatives of national or subregional institutions presented local experiences that reflect the implementation of mechanisms to overcome a situation related to the management of cultural heritage and disaster risk reduction. Thus, there were presentations by the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sports of Jamaica, the Directorate of Culture of the Department of Piura, Peru, and the Central American Educational and Cultural Coordination of the Central American Integration System ( CECC / SICA).

Mrs. Raquel Núñez, Technical Director of the CECC / SICA presented the mechanisms established in the SICA Region – made up of Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and the Dominican Republic – to include culture in the regional risk management strategies. Subsequently, the participants completed a survey to evaluate the relationship between these mechanisms and the proposed indicator tools, in aspects such as community participation and contribution of the strategy to sustainable development.

Culture, including cultural heritage – both tangible and intangible – as well as cultural and creative industries, can be vulnerable to the adverse impacts of disasters, and climate change, particularly in contexts where urban planning overlooked cultural heritage . Likewise, in post-disaster situations, culture plays a fundamental role in the recovery of affected communities, reinforcing identity and social cohesion and inclusion. For this reason, there is a need to raise awareness of the need to link culture with DRR strategies and plans at the local, national and regional levels.

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