Santiago, Chile – A landmark international initiative dedicated to enhancing disaster preparedness throughout Latin America and the Caribbean has successfully concluded after a ten-year run. The KIZUNA Project (2015–2026), a collaborative effort spearheaded by the governments of Chile and Japan, held its final seminar to review its substantial achievements in regional capacity building.
The closing event, co-organized by the Chilean Agency for International Cooperation for Development (AGCID) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), served as a platform for regional reflection. Key institutions, including the National Office of Seismic Evaluation and Vulnerability of Infrastructure and Buildings (ONESVIE) of the Dominican Republic and representatives from the Inter-American Development Bank, gathered to assess the project’s legacy.
Leonardo Reyes, Director of ONESVIE, presented a comprehensive overview of the Dominican Republic’s advancements under the KIZUNA framework. His presentation detailed significant national progress in critical areas such as seismic vulnerability assessment, institutional fortification, and integrated risk management strategies. Reyes underscored the indispensable value of multinational partnerships, stating that such cooperation is fundamental to constructing communities that are both safer and more resilient to natural disasters.
The consensus among participants highlighted the project’s profound impact. Over its decade-long implementation, KIZUNA was instrumental in providing advanced training for thousands of disaster management professionals across the region. Its core success lies in its effective strengthening of institutional capabilities and the vigorous promotion of a collaborative network among nations, significantly improving the region’s collective response mechanisms for climate-related events and seismic threats.