Mrs. Valerie Amos, United Nations Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, arrived in the island today, Thursday, October 17, 2013 to attend the Sixth Regional Meeting on International Mechanisms for Humanitarian Assistance (MIAH) for Latin American and Caribbean States. The Sixth MIAH Meeting is being held at the Jamaica Conference Centre, from October 16 to 18, 2013 under the theme “Strengthening Public and Private Partnerships, towards a common Regional Platform for Humanitarian Action”.

The Under Secretary General (USG) is here mainly to co-chair, alongside Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade the Honourable A. J. Nicholson, a high level segment of the MIAH Meeting on day three of the conference. This segment will be limited to Ministers of Foreign Affairs from participating countries. Prior to attending the meeting the Under Secretary General (USG) will pay a courtesy call on the Minister of Local Government & Community Development and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade

The Sixth MIAH is being hosted by Government of Jamaica, through the Ministry of Local Government / Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, in collaboration with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Minister Noel Arscott delivered the keynote address during the opening ceremony yesterday, Wednesday, October 16, 2013 to one hundred and twenty (120) participants from over twenty five (25) countries.

This is the first time that the MIAH meeting is being held in the Caribbean. Meetings were previously held in Mexico (2008), Brazil (2009), Argentina (2010), Ecuador (2011) and Panama (2012).

MIAH is the acronym for the Spanish, Mecanismos Internacionales de Assistencia Humanitaria .

The Government of Jamaica, in collaboration with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), will host the Sixth Regional Meeting on International Mechanisms for Humanitarian Assistance (MIAH) for Latin American and Caribbean States under the theme “Strengthening Public and Private Partnerships, towards a common Regional Platform for Humanitarian Action”. The meeting is scheduled to take place at the Jamaica Conference Centre in Kingston from October 16 to 18, 2013.

This meeting aims to bring together representatives of Ministries of Foreign Affairs, civil protection and civil defence agencies with, sub-regional, regional and global humanitarian actors. Together participants will establish and strengthen coordination and response mechanisms to address humanitarian needs in responding to disasters in the region.

MIAH meetings have become an important initiative in the Latin America and the Caribbean region for dialogue among the humanitarian community and an opportunity to share experiences and good practices, as well as, strengthen alliances that are crucial during emergency response.Meetings have been held in Mexico (2008), Brazil (2009), Argentina (2010), Ecuador (2011) and Panama (2012). The Sixth Meeting of the MIAH will be of special significance as this is the first time that the meeting will be held in a Caribbean country.

The Minister of Local Government and Community Development, the Honourable Noel Arscott affirmed that the MIAH meeting provides  an excellent platform for dialogue and exchange of information new tools and initiatives towards strengthening relationships between states, regional organizations and humanitarian partners. “The Ministry of Local Government & Community Development is very pleased to be hosting the meeting and we expect Jamaica to benefit from the collective knowledge and expertise of our Latin American and Caribbean counterparts”, he added.

The Regional Meeting on International Mechanisms for Humanitarian Assistance is an initiative promoted by Latin America and Caribbean countries with the support of OCHA’s regional office, which aims to strengthen partnership and the collaborative efforts in the Regions  to promote a more integrated approach to humanitarian assistance.

International Mechanisms for Humanitarian Assistance  is the English translation of the Spanish  Mecanismos Internacionales de Assistencia Humanitaria – MIAH.