On March 2, the Inter-American Defense Board (IADB), in coordination with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA-UN) and with the support of the Brazilian Ministry of Defense, began the Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination Course (UN-CMCoord) in the city of Brasilia.
This important academic program is aimed at strengthening interoperability between armed forces, civil authorities, sectoral ministries and humanitarian actors in emergency and disaster scenarios, in accordance with international humanitarian principles and the Oslo Guidelines.
The course brings together 28 representatives from 10 countries, including delegates from Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs, the System of Cooperation among the American Air Forces, the Coordination Center for Disaster Prevention in Central America and the Dominican Republic, and the IADB. Officials from the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil, the host country, are also participating.
The activity has four specialized facilitators (three from OCHA and one from the IADB), reaffirming the institutional commitment to strengthening regional capacities.
This course is part of the IADB's strategic efforts to consolidate the Disaster Cooperation Mechanism (MECODE) as a key hemispheric tool, directly contributing to the technical and doctrinal preparation of Member States for Exercise MECODEX Brazil 2026, which seeks to strengthen civil-military coordination and joint response to disasters in the Americas.
Preparation, cooperation and commitment in service to the region.
