The Disaster Cooperation Division of the Inter-American Defense Board (IADB) carried out the first training session for the experts designated by the different member countries to participate in the next International Humanitarian Assistance Simulation Exercise "MECODEX-CMDA 2024" , which will take place on May 31, June 3 and 4 of this year in the city of Lima, Peru.
The objective of the training was to familiarize the delegations with the process of the Cooperation Mechanism in Cases of Disasters (MECODE-CMDA) and train them in the software to use. The platform will be used as a tool to provide updated, reliable and timely information, which will allow better management of resources, complementarity of efforts, transparency and reduction of response times in the event that a country needs international aid.
On the same occasion, training was also carried out on the MEC-REG software from CEPREDENAC-SICA, in which all the cells contained in the program were shown step by step, with the aim of understanding how each of them is powered to improve and strengthen communication between all actors during the provision of humanitarian aid. The training was led by Colonel Orlando Ugaz Bartolo of the Peruvian Army, who is head of the Disaster Cooperation Division of the IADB, and Colonel Gabriel Henriques de Oliveira Farias of the Brazilian Air Force, responsible for the Search and Rescue Section .
The participating delegations were: Brazil, Canada, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru, as well as Mr. Manuel Sosa Azurdia, Specialized Advisor on CEPREDENAC/SICA Mechanisms, and a representative of the CMDA of Argentina.
This year, the Republic of Peru will be the host country of the International Humanitarian Assistance Simulation Exercise (MECODEX-CMDA 2024) and, together with the IADB, has worked on the consolidation of the different planning and coordination phases of the exercise.
MECODE-CMDA was conceived by the Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas (CMDA) and, by mandate of the Organization of American States (OAS), is being developed by the General Secretariat of the IADB in its role as Permanent Secretariat of MECODE -CMDA.
