Post-conflict peacebuilding: strategies and lessons from Bosnia and Herzegovina, El Salvador and Sierra Leone

Includes bibliography

Evaluation of technical assistance needs in population activities in Latin America

Dada la escasez de recursos para la asistencia internacional en actividades de poblacion en la region, la definicion de funciones y responsabilidades de las diversas agencias debe hacerse en terminos de sus objetivos, excelencia profesional y de sus relaciones institucionales con los paises. Los objetivos de dicha asistencia se orientan a desarrollar capacidades, conocimientos e insumos para la comprension de los aspectos demograficos del desarrollo y la formulacion de politicas de poblacion. La discusion de los nuevos arreglos institucionales y formas de organizacion de la ayuda para el logro escalonado de estos objetivos debe basarse en la consideracion de las ventajas y desventajas de la experiencia acumulada hasta ahora. En este sentido, destacan como determinantes del grado de factibilidad y eficiencia de la asistencia tecnica el grado de conciencia sobre la problematica poblacional, la existencia de programas estructurados y el apoyo de agencias ejecutoras a nivel de cada pais

Evaluation report of the training course on disaster assessment methodology

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) has been a pioneer in the field of disaster assessment and in the development and dissemination of the Disaster Assessment Methodology. The organization’s history in assessing disasters started in 1972 with the earthquake that struck Managua, Nicaragua. Since then, ECLAC has led more than 90 assessments of the social, environmental and economic effects and impacts of disasters in 28 countries in the region. The Sustainable Development and Disaster Unit provides expert assistance in disaster assessment and disaster risk reduction to Caribbean states and to all countries across Latin America. Considering that assessing the effects and impacts of disasters is critical to the Latin American and Caribbean countries, the Unit has started a new cycle of training courses. The training is designed for policymakers and professionals involved directly with disaster risk management and risk reduction. Additionally, and since the methodology is comprehensive in approach, it is also designed for sector specialists, providing a multisectoral overview of the situation after a disaster, as well as an economic estimate of the damages, losses and additional costs. In an attempt to strengthen disaster risk reduction through its financial instruments, the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES for its acronym in Portuguese) of Brazil requested that ECLAC undertake a four-day training programme on the Disaster Assessment Methodology.