Most of the disasters were a result of regular rainy seasons in South America, cold weather in Central America and drought in North America. Bolivia and Peru were hit hardest.

Around the world, people face abuse, arbitrary arrest, extortion, violence, severe discrimination and lack of official protection because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. This latest issue of FMR includes 26 articles on the abuse of rights of forced migrants who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex. Authors discuss both the challenges faced and examples of good practice in securing protection for LGBTI forced migrants.

According to the Ministry of Health, 132 deaths have been registered as a result of dengue in Brazil during the first trimester of 2013. Active dengue cases have increased by approximately 279% compared to the same period in 2012.

During the first three months of this year, 635.161 infected people have been registered, of which 1.417 are considered severe cases, as per the latest report issued by the Ministry of Health.

This 12th issue contains a dual focus: First, we explore the role of the private sector in combatting trafficking in persons and other contemporary forms of slavery. To this end, we offer a brief overview of the evolution of the notion of corporate social responsibility: what are its origins; why are private companies today increasingly concerned with it, and; what is being done about trafficking?

Over 44,000 people from 30 Members States and 15 of the territories* in the Caribbean and Adjacent Regions participated in the second full scale regional tsunami exercise held on March 20, 2013.

Thirty-two countries* will participate in a full-scale tsunami alert exercise in the Caribbean on 20 March 2013. The goal is to test the reaction capacity in countries of the Caribbean and adjacent regions, including the East Coast of Canada and the United States, the Gulf of Mexico and Bermuda. The exercise was organized under the auspices of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC).

03/20/2013 02:44 GMT

RIO DE JANEIRO, March 20, 2013 (AFP) - At least 27 people were killed by landslides caused by heavy rains in a mountainous area of the Brazilian sate of Rio de Janeiro, authorities said Tuesday.

The heavy downpour also forced 1,466 people to leave their homes or left them homeless. The deluge began late Sunday in and around Petropolis, located 68 kilometers (42 miles) north of Rio de Janeiro, officials said.

The bodies of two boys and a girl who had been unaccounted for were found Tuesday in a stream, firefighters said.

OVERVIEW

Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) experience a multitude of natural hazards, including earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, tsunamis, landslides, volcanoes, forest fires, and drought. El Niño, a climate pattern that occurs on average once every three to seven years, periodically exacerbates the impacts of hydrometeorological events. Environmental degradation and poor land-use management also increase populations’ vulnerability to natural hazards.