FedEx Supported Port Resiliency Program Advanced by UN Agency and FIU

The tabletop exercise had everyone in the room abuzz with activity. A major disaster was about to hit the airport in Suriname. Exercise participants included representatives from government agencies, relief organizations, and corporations across the Latin America and Caribbean region. They scrambled about, learning on the go all the preparations that needed to be in place to make the airport as resilient as possible.

Success! The airport was saved. Keeping airports open is key to enabling relief agencies to respond to the disaster, bringing in lifesaving medicines, materials, and equipment. An airport’s resilience also ensures that commerce can continue.

Outreach Aid to the Americas (OAA), an international aid nonprofit, developed and facilitated the resiliency training. The program is called C-PReP, which stands for Community and Port Resiliency Program.

The program has proved so powerful and effective across the Latin America and Caribbean region that it has become a leader in resiliency training and programming. It has also showcased OAA’s leadership in this space and been a major contributing factor to the establishment of a new centre for training that will advance resiliency training. 

The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) just signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with OAA and Florida International University. This created an official affiliation between the three organizations and established CIFAL Miami. CIFAL, which stands for Centre International de Formation des Autorités et Leaders (International Training Centre for Authorities and Leaders), is part of the CIFAL Global Network (CGN), overseen by UNITAR.

Moving forward, OAA, in close coordination with Florida International University, will provide C-PReP training as part of the UN network of affiliated training centres.

The establishment of CIFAL Miami was recently celebrated in Miami at Florida International University. The three officials who ceremonially signed the MOU at the event were Dr Kenneth Jessell, President, FIU; Mr Alex Mejia, Director of UNITAR’s Division for People and Social Inclusion and Head of the CIFAL Global Network; and Mr Teo Babun, Executive Director, OAA. OAA’s Senior Program Director, Ms. Maricarmen Estrada, will also serve as the Director of CIFAL Miami

Nearly 15 years ago, FedEx began sponsoring C-PReP. Representatives from the company attended the signing event. The program aligns well with the company’s Delivering for Good philanthropic focus area, and it fits strategically, as resilient airports allow FedEx to keep commerce flowing.

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