08 June 2023
Shahnaz Radjy, CBi Secretariat
This week, the Mexican Government announced that it would partner with the National Center for Epidemiological Emergencies and Disasters (CENACED), the CBi Member Network in Mexico, to warehouse supplies for rapid humanitarian response.
We spoke to Elisa Trujillo, Director General of CENACED, about what this means for disaster management in the country and for the organization.
What does it mean that CENACED will be the official warehouse for Mexico for rapid response?
This is incredibly exciting; we are thrilled to reinforce public-private collaboration towards the construction of a more disaster resilient and sustainable Mexico. This particular agreement gives us a way to better align strategic and on-the-ground efforts with the Federal Government to reach vulnerable communities in less time and provide them with supplies that can pave the way for a faster recovery.
Beyond that, being the Federal Government’s warehouse for rapid response to emergencies is one more step towards a stronger multisectoral disaster risk management ecosystem in Mexico. For CENACED and Unidos por Ellxs, the most important thing is to save lives and alleviate human suffering, and with this action our goal is to ensure that affected communities get the support they need within 24-72 hours after a crisis. A better preparation for the risks that we face as a country can enable a more effective rapid response as well as a smoother transition from emergency response to sustainable long-term recovery.
How will you operationalize the warehouse so it aligns with existing systems around humanitarian response?
The Federal Government will conduct an analysis of potential needs based on the different disaster threats that Mexico faces, for instance the CONAGUA forecast for the hurricane and cyclone seasons, as more than 90% of emergencies declared in Mexico are due to hydrometeorological phenomena. Based on the results and a vulnerability analysis of the communities most at risk, we will aim to have a sufficient stock of supplies to provide the necessary support to affected communities in less time than it takes now.
It is important to note that the logistics behind the warehouse is supported by UPS, a world leader in logistics. One key element for CENACED and Unidos por Ellxs to work with the best players in each sector required for humanitarian action, and the private sector benefits from ample technical expertise that allows us to “do good doing good”.
While it is still early days, we hope to explore how to leverage the cluster system, somewhat inspired by the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (CBi Member Network in the Philippines), to better operationalize our humanitarian response capabilities.
Will CENACED have to build out a platform or system for this?
No – we will build on the existing Unidos por Ellxs platform that was developed with the support of the OCHA/UNDP Connecting Business initiative (CBi) based on the Agreement of Voluntary Cooperation signed between ARISE Mx and the Federal Government whereby, among other goals, we aim to prevent and be better prepared for disasters.
Do you have any early adopters or champions?
Other than UPS, we are currently talking with potential C-suite champions who contribute to the CENACED and Unidos por Ellxs strategy. I would love to elaborate on that later, as we are still working on a few details to see how the top companies can reinforce humanitarian response in Mexico.
What is the timeframe you expect before this agreement goes beyond paper and is ready to go in case of an emergency?
We started to design the warehousing and rapid response operations and we hope to have the pilot ready next year.
Anything else you care to share?
I want to thank Laura Velázquez Alzúa, the National Coordinator of Civil Protection, and particularly the Directorate of Liaison, Innovation and Regulations team headed by Lic. Héctor Amparano and his incredible colleagues, Lic. Alberto Dogart and Lic. Diego Sánchez Regalado. It is thanks to their support and willingness to work as a team that we have gotten this far.