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IOM is partnering with the government of Haiti in an effort to strengthen the capacity of local authorities in disaster preparedness, camp management and communications.

Some 111 members of Haiti's Department of Civil Protection (DPC) are being seconded to IOM and will be trained as camp managers next week. In another project a further 15 to 20 members of DPC will be trained by IOM as communications experts, specifically to deal with people living in emergency shelters as a result of natural disasters.

The aim is to create a durable camp management and information sharing system for a country that is particularly prone to natural disasters, whether earthquakes or hurricanes. The project will boost the capacity of the Haitian government to take over some of the roles being played by IOM and other humanitarian actors since the 12 January earthquake, through training, technical support and the integration of DPC team leaders in the Camp Management Operations teams active in earthquake-affected communes.

The DPC has long experience in disaster preparedness, especially for hurricanes. This year the situation is complicated by the fact that more than 1.5 million displaced Haitians are still in tents and shelters. Many are in low-lying areas highly vulnerable to flooding or on hillsides where the land has been made unstable by the earthquake and there are continual risks of flash flooding and landslides.

"The aim is to collaborate closely with the Government of Haiti, in particularly DPC, through the integration of 111 of their personnel in our team, which will allow a daily exchange of knowledge and experience, between well experienced camp manager officers from the one side and DPC members who are bringing knowledge of government operations and capacities on the other," said Fouad Diab who is managing the IOM-DPC partnership for camp management.

"This project aims to reduce the vulnerability of those at risk from natural disasters, by enhancing local-level disaster preparedness capacities", he added.

IOM is also providing technical and financial support for DPC information officers, an initiative that is aimed at sharing key preparedness messages in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area and elsewhere in the country.

DPC is the lead government agency in time of disasters and the collaboration with IOM is aimed at creating a durable information sharing system between the humanitarian organizations, the government, the affected populations and local organizations and government.

The IOM-DPC camp management programme is sponsored by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.


For more information contact:

Pascal Verly
IOM Communications Haiti
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +509 3702 7587

Fouad Diab
Email: [email protected]
Te: +509 3702 3847