Regional OfficeThe Americas
Arnoldo Cano #142,P.O. Box 0843-03441.
Ciudad del Saber,
Panama City, Panama

Media Contact
Humberto Jaime
Wapp.+507 6541-3228
Phone +507 317 1120
hjaime@eird.org

Press release
July 29, 2014 - UNISDR 2014

UN (UNISDR) and Peace Boat NGO Voyage through Central America to promotedisaster resilience
Panama City, Panama, July 28, 2014 –With the goal of strengthening the knowledge and capacity forteam work to reduce the impact of disasters caused by natural hazards and enhance community resilience,
the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), through its Regional Office for the Americas, will join
the world voyage of the UN Peace Boat in its El Salvador-Nicaragua-Panama segment, and will provide
workshops on disaster prevention and resilience building to young leaders from Central America.
The journey will serve as the framework for the official launch of the cooperation agreement between
UNISDR and the Peace Boat that was signed in June 2014, by which the international NGO agreed toraise awareness for the "Making Cities Resilient: My City is Getting Ready!" Global Campaign - led byUNISDR since 2010- at each of the 60 ports of call of its educational voyage around the world between
2014 and 2015.
During the tour in Central America that starts on August 1, eight young people from El Salvador,Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama will join the 800 passengers aboard this multicultural boat. They
willattend a training course and share initiatives and experiences on disaster risk reduction and resiliencebuilding in their communities and countries. This will be carried out through the Youth Programme forStrengthening Disaster Resilience in Central America, led by the Peace Boat in coordination withUNISDR.
The participants will evaluate both the existing challenges to strengthening resilience and potentialsolutions, and will have the opportunity to propose mechanisms for resilience building in the region. Theywill also discuss lessons learned from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan with survivors andvolunteers from the affected areas.
The programme will be held from 1 to 8 August during the Latin American segment of the 84th Peace
Boat' Global Voyage, departing from Acajutla, El Salvador. The Peace Boat will make stops in Santa
Tecla (El Salvador) and Corinto (Nicaragua), and will make a tour on the Panama Canal, before
disembarking in Cristobal (Panama) on August 7. At each port, activities with national authorities will beconducted, along with field visits related to disaster risk reduction. Further information on these will be
provided at a later date.
UNISDR - Peace Boat Resilience Tour- Friday, August 1: Acajutla, El Salvador (Boarding)- Saturday, August 2: Santa Tecla, El Salvador- Sunday, August 3: Corinto, Nicaragua. Press Conference and Symposium
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- Monday, August 4: Onboard programme- Tuesday, August 5: Onboard programme- Wednesday, August 5: Onboard programme. Crossing of the Panama Canal- Thursday, 7 August: Cristobal, Panama (Disembarking). Visit to the UNISDR Regional Office for theAmericas- Friday, August 8: End of programme and return to home countries
About the Peace Boat
Peace Boat is an international non-profit and non-governmental organization that works to promote peace,
human rights, equal and sustainable development and respect for the environment through global
educational programmes on global peace voyages.
Peace Boat has carried out emergency relief operations for the past 18 years in affected areas all over theworld by delivering emergency assistance and raising funds, as well as coordinating the dispatch ofexperienced logisticians, interpreters and volunteer teams.. One of their operations was the coordination,
training and dispatch of thousands of volunteers after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami inMarch 2011.
About the "Making Cities Resilient" Global Campaign
1980 cities around the world have joined the UNISDR-led campaign and are working to make theircommunities more resilient to disasters.
The Global Campaign is based on 10 essentials for developing local resilience, which in turn build on the5 priorities for action of the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA), adopted by UN Member States for theperiod 2005-2015 to increase the resilience of communities and nations through disaster risk reduction.

Related links:
Making Cities Resilient Global Campaign
UNISDR- Peace Boat Cooperation Agreement (English)
UNISDR - The Americas Press Room
Peace Boat Press room
Contact:
Media in the Americas
Humberto Jaime / UNISDR - The Americas
WhatsApp +507-6541-3228 Phone. +507-317-1120
hjaime@eird.org
Global Media:
María Perez
maria.peaceboat@gmail.com

About UNISDR: UNISDR is the UN office dedicated to disaster risk reduction. The office is headed by the Special
Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction. It supports the implementation of the Hyogo
Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters. The HFA seeks a"substantial reduction of disaster losses, in lives and the social, economic and environmental assets of communities andcountries."

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