During these two years, the secretariat of the United Nations International
Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), the Pan-American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), the International
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Plan International, with the support of the World Bank’s Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), have carried out a number of activities in our region, jointly with governments, regional and international bodies, and non-governmental organizations aimed at raising awareness regarding how and why more efforts should be devoted to protect health facilities and ensure that they continue functioning and are accessible during and after a disaster or an emergency.