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Cuba Recognized as an Example of Risk Reduction Granma Daily, October 16, 2010 Representatives of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Latin America and the Caribbean, acknowledged the important work undertaken by Cuba in reducing risks caused by the occurrence of natural disasters, reports AIN. Maria Jesus Izquierdo, regional advisor risks Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery of UNDP, assessed the Cuban initiative with the Centers for Risk Management throughout the country as very effective and considered it necessary to replicate the experience in other nations. She stressed that the country shows consistently, in dealing successfully with seismic and hydro-meteorological events, that it is possible to reduce losses caused by disasters, preserve human lives and resources with good practices. As a result of the political will of the government agencies, economic entities and social institutions, together with the population, they have developed policies, strategies and measures for the prevention, mitigation, preparedness and response to these phenomena. Rosendo Mesias, Programme Officer serving the area of disaster risk for the UNDP in Cuba, said a project is being carried out in the archipelago from 2008 to 2012, to increase the capacity for prevention and recovery of the areas most vulnerable. As a result they have installed around 40 Centers for Risk Reduction and more than 120 Early Warning Systems in the provinces and municipalities; they have also been strengthened and trained entities and created 30 local production sites for construction materials, said Mesias. According to the official, work has also been done in prevention education and risk management for the people taking decisions, technicians and the population in general, through lectures, workshops, newspapers and billboards. UNDP, as a global development network of the United Nations is an organization that promotes the exchange and contact between countries for knowledge, experience and resources that allow people to have a better life. It works directly in 166 countries to help in implementing their own solutions to global and national challenges, developing local capacities mainly in crisis prevention and recovery as an essential ingredient for human development. According to a report published, billions of people in over 100 countries are periodically exposed to at least one earthquake, tropical cyclone, flood or drought, causing more than 184 deaths per day in different parts of the world.