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OCHA in the Region
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PRESENCE IN THE REGION
The OCHA office opened in Panama in July 2003 with one National Disaster Response Advisor. By 2005, it was officially established as Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (ROLAC). Currently OCHA ROLAC counts with 36 staff members in 11 countries - including 9 members from the Redhum project and 8 National Disaster Response Advisors. The Office also provides surge capacity to OCHA field offices in Colombia and Haiti.
The Regional Office is divided into four main units, which interact together to achieve common results:
Emergency Preparedness Response Unit (EPR)
Works to promote a better and more coherent response to emergencies, through information sharing and assessment for the right decision making in times of disasters. The unit also promotes the Humanitarian Reform and its integration by all actors, including governments and NGO’s. It is compose of 5 persons in Panama and the presence of National Disaster Response Advisors (NDRA) in 8 countries: Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Peru and Chile.
Information Management Unit (IM)
Ensures the flow of information among humanitarian actors, strengthens the region’s information management capacities, to promote information sharing among partners and to identify efficient dissemination and visibility products or methodologies. The information staff consist of 4 persons in Panama and the Redhum project with Redhum Information Assistants in 9 countries: Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru and Dominican Republic.
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Pandemic Influenza Contingency Unit (PIC)
Promotes the readiness of the UN System, national governments and the humanitarian community on the influenza pandemic. It is compose of 3 specialists working from Panama.
Management (including Administration Unit) (MAN)
Formulating policy and organizing, planning, controlling, and directing the organization's resources to achieve the policy's objectives, Management characterizes the process of leading and directing OCHA ROLAC Office through the deployment and use of resources. Management/Administration Unit (MAN) that oversees the operations with 6 persons located in Panama. |
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Primary Activities
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The Regional Office strengthened preparedness through their support to UNDAC (The United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination) preparedness missions, contingency planning and pandemic preparedness
Greater incorporation of disaster risk reduction approaches and
strengthened preparedness in humanitarian response
A common approach to needs assessments and impact evaluation
Strengthened information management based on common standards and best practices
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Field Offices
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COLOMBIA
Under the guidance of the Humanitarian Coordinator (HC), OCHA Colombia plans continue to implement a number of action-oriented advocacy activities including training seminars and a common communication strategy aimed at raising awareness on humanitarian principles with the government and other local partners.
Natural disasters perennially distress the country: heavy rains, floods, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions affected 1.5 million people in 2007 and at least 700,000 more in 2008. The impact of disasters is most harshly felt by rural communities, especially those already burdened by Colombia’s internal challenges. Emergency preparedness is at the core of the work carried out under the United Nations Emergency Technical Team (UNETT), an Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) like mechanism also involving national authorities and their ability to respond to natural disasters.
OCHA Colombia continues to revise national and local contingency plans with a particular focus on disasters and protection issues, especially in areas close to the borders. OCHA Colombia ensures an effective distribution of available information products via its webpage, enhancing the analysis and decision-making capacity of all stakeholders for both prevention and response strategies.
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HAITI
On 12 January 2010, a powerful earthquake of 7.0 magnitude (USGS) on the Richter Scale affected Haiti, at 16.53hrs local time. The earthquake happened 17 kilometres south-west of Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti.
The scale of the disaster was massive. The earthquake hit a country already suffering from endemic poverty. All institutions that would normally be involved in a disaster response and recovery were devastated - hospitals, government buildings, administrative and economic infrastructures.
According to the Haiti government, 222,570 people died and over 300,000 were injured. The earthquake displaced some 2.3 million people. The total value of damage and losses is estimated at US$7.8 billion. OCHA continued to strengthen the response to humanitarian needs through its field office in Port-au-Prince and with an increased presence in rural areas. On a weekly basis, field officers monitor humanitarian needs to support the overall efforts of the humanitarian community, thereby strengthening partnership with both international and local organizations on the ground.
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