Central America and Mexico – European Commission

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Since 1994, the EU has provided €354.5 million in humanitarian aid and disaster preparedness to Central America and Mexico.

In 2023, the EU allocated €23 million to the region, including €1.3 million released to respond to the impact of hurricane Otis in Mexico.

In 2024, the EU is funding €18 million to Central America and Mexico. An additional €1.5 million will be allocated to a regional response to the Dengue outbreak in South and Central America.

EU humanitarian funding supports projects providing health services and protection to displaced people across Central America, as well as to children and families affected by violence in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. We also provide support to the victims of Nicaragua’s civil unrest beyond the country.

EU funding has also helped respond to emergencies such as floods, droughts, hurricanes, epidemics, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. In addition, it has also meant vulnerable communities can build resilience in the face of potential future disaster.

A Memorandum of Understanding on disaster risk management has been established as a new collaboration instrument between the European Union and the Latin America and Caribbean region. This agreement focuses on disaster preparedness and risk management, and it became effective in May 2024. Many regional disaster management agencies, including the Coordination Centre for the Prevention of Natural Disasters in Central America (CEPREDENAC), have signed as parties to the agreement.

Since 1994, the EU has allocated over €100 million to strengthen disaster preparedness, an integral part of EU-funded humanitarian projects.

An improved, timely response to disasters requires targeted actions assisting local communities and institutions. This enables them to identify risks and mitigation measures both before and during natural disasters, including:

people-centred Early Warning Systems in critical river basins in Guatemala and Honduras,Improve climate and environmental resilience,anticipatory action to address drought and food insecurity in Central America,strengthen capacities and coordination of civil society that provide humanitarian assistance to people on the move, improve coordination and preparedness to forced displacement. The EU’s satellite system COPERNICUS was activated yearly since 2020 to provide free imagery in support of disaster response to floods in the northern Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua and wildfires in the Mexican states of Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas, as well as hurricane Otis in Acapulco.

The EU Civil Protection Mechanism was activated after the COVID-19 outbreak to address needs for medical supplies, including vaccinations and equipment in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. It also coordinated repatriation flights of EU citizens stranded in the region.

Last updated: 15/05/2024

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Source link : https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/where/latin-america-and-caribbean/central-america-and-mexico_en Author : Publish date : 2024-05-15 03:00:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source .