Participants at the RELACIGER workwhop.

O

he Latin American Network of Information Centers on Disaster Risk Management (RELACIGER) convened a regional workshop in San Jose, Costa Rica, from 9-12 August 2016. The aim was to share experiences and practices; review results of projects and activities, recent and ongoing; plan future activities; improve its products, resources and the network’s organization; and foster collaboration among the member entities.

In the event, participants presented technical information (practical and advanced) on disaster prevention, communication management and dissemination for adverse event readiness, and specific technologies that can be used for the preparation of information pieces. In this context, experts expressed their perceptions on this issue, particularly, collaboration networks. Other topics included the science behind earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, the specific information needs of the scientific community, and its role in information generation.

Other important results were the establishment of a consultation committee, formed by representatives of the Regional Disaster Information Center for Latin America and the Caribbean (CRIDLAC), the National Emergencies Commission (CNE), the Center for Disaster Information of the National Library of Medicine (CIDBIMENA) and the Center for Disaster Protection (CEPRODE) to establish a Board of Directors and facilitate future activities.

The workshop, supported by the National Library of Medicine (NLM), had participation from member institutions from Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and other actors such as the National University, the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation of Costa Rica, the Fire Corps of that country, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Other delegates, from Chile and the United States, took part in the workshop by teleconference.