The First Interregional Meeting on Strengthening Preparedness for Health Emergencies and Disasters in Cities and Urban Settings will be held in Quito, Ecuador, from Tuesday, October 15 to Thursday, October 17, 2024.
This event, organized by the °µÍø¸£Àû (PAHO/WHO) through the Health Emergencies Department (PHE), is part of the follow-up to the implementation of the initiative to strengthen preparedness capacities for response and recovery in health emergencies and disasters in Latin America and the Caribbean. Learn more about the initiative here.
Objectives
The general objective of this meeting is to contribute to the implementation of the World Health Organization (WHO) Resolution approved during the World Health Assembly (WHA) in May 2022 (WHA75.7 and WHA 73.8), which focuses on strengthening health emergency preparedness and response in cities and urban settings, with a request to focus on the unique vulnerabilities of cities from the perspective of health security and strengthening health emergency preparedness.
Specific objectives:
- Evaluate the progress of the initiative to strengthen capacities for preparedness, response, and recovery in health emergencies and disasters in cities and urban settings in the Americas.
- Facilitate the exchange of experiences and lessons learned among participating cities and other regions of the world.
- Collaboratively formulate regional strategic lines of work for the expansion of the initiative in the region.
Audience
The event is aimed at those responsible for Health and Disaster Emergency Management in Ministries of Health; Experts in health and disaster emergency management; Representatives of non-governmental organizations and civil society; Academics and professionals in public health and urban planning; Officials from the °µÍø¸£Àû (PAHO/WHO).
Resources
Preliminar Agenda
Day 1: Tuesday, 15th October (9:00 - 17:10)
9:00 - Session 1: Opening Session +
Welcome, Introduction and Objectives of the Meeting
Secretary of Health Quito
Secretary of Health Bogotá
Dr. Valeska Stempliuk, Disease Prevention, Surveillance and Control Advisor. PAHO/WHO Ecuador
Dr. Ludy Suryantoro, Head of Unit at World Health Organization
Presentation of participants - Interactive Session
DMQ
10:00 - Session 2: Progress and Successful Experiences in the Implementation of the Initiative +
Roundtable: Analysis of the strategic lines in the implementation of the Americas initiative
Moderator: Adam Touline, Technical Officer, Health Security Preparedness, WHO HQ
Countries' Presentations - Main Implementation Progress
Presentation Quito
Holder. Secretary of Health Quito
Presentation Bogota
Holder. Secretary of Health Bogota
Presentation Cali
Holder. Undersecretary of Health Cali
Discussion round - Q&A
11:10 - Session 3: Risk Assessment in Cities and Urban Settings +
PART 1
Panel discussion: Towards Risk Reduction in Cities and Urban Settings with a Development Perspective
Moderador: Ing. Daniel Arteaga, Advisor UNDRR Americas
Juan Carlos Sánchez, International Consultant
Health Risk Management in Conflict-Affected Urban Settings
Tanja Schmidt, Team Lead, Preparedness, Readiness and Capacity Building, Health Emergencies Programme, WHO Regional Office for Europe
Resilient Cities: Ecuador's experience in building resilient cities
Titular (TBC). National Secretariat for Risk Management Ecuador
Interactive exercise with guiding questions
PART 2
Expert panel: Protecting health from the risk of forest fires in the urban environment
Moderator: Dr. Adriana EcheverrÃa, Risk Management Coordinator, Health Secretariat, Metropolitan District of Quito/ Alternate moderator: Raquel Lejtreger
Interactive discussion: Best practices, challenges, and lessons learned in protecting health from wildfires in urban areas
- Ecuadorian Red Cross's perspective on responding to wildfires in urban settings, with a focus on public health protection and humanitarian assistance during these emergencies
Roque Soria, National Relief Director, Ecuadorian Red Cross - Strategies of the Quito Fire Brigade in the prevention and response to forest fires in urban areas and discuss the logistical and operational challenges they face
Esteban Cárdenas Varela. Commander of the Quito Metropolitan District Fire Department (TBC) - Quito's risk management approach to forest fires, including planning, prevention, and inter-institutional coordination
Christian Arias. Director of Risk Management DMQ
PART 3
Panel Discussion: Key Challenges Facing Cities and Urban Environments in the Face of Climate Change
Moderator: Mgs. Patricia Carrillo. Security - Risk Management Directorate
Impact of the Climate Crisis on Health in Urban Settings
Yolanda González Hernández (TBC)
Director of the International Centre for Research on El Niño Phenomenon. CIIFEN
Sea Level Rise in Cities and its Impact on Health
Tshewang Choden Dorji. Advisor, Data Management, Analytics, and Products (DMAP). Health Emergency Information & Risk Assessment, PAHO
New Urban Agenda and Health
Monica Quintana, UN Habitat Regional Office
Interactive Exercise Discussion
15:30 Session 4: Side Events +
Strengthening Preparedness for Response and Recovery in Urban Settings and Cities
15:30 - Strategic Risk Assessment of Health Emergencies and Disasters in Urban Settings
Alex Camacho / Juan Carlos Sánchez
15:30 - Coordination mechanisms for response to health emergencies and disasters in cities and urban settings
Leonardo Hernández / Giselle Alban (TBC)
15:30 - Risk communication strategies for health emergencies and disasters in cities
Tanya Escamilla / Rafael Castillo
17:00 - Closing Remarks +
Summary of the day and conclusions
More information: hqdrr@paho.org