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Tony Breuer Addresses Policy Leaders in Emergency Response Workshop

Leaders and policy analysts from across the Canadian development community gathered October 26 to discuss how Canadian aid agencies can better coordinate their efforts and find efficiencies in disaster response. Tony Breuer, CHF's Executive Director, co-chaired a Head of Agency workshop discussion with 25 agency heads and as many additional PAGER members to lead off the day's discussions.

Over the course of the event, the group drew on lessons learned by various members in their responses to the ongoing crisis in East Africa and the earthquake in Haiti, among others. Discussion yielded useful insights into emerging challenges and trends in disaster response, how they impact food security, and how they can best be addressed.

The Policy Action Group on Emergency Response (PAGER) is an informal, flexible and responsive forum for Canadian humanitarian agencies that respond to humanitarian emergencies worldwide. PAGER was created to fill a gap between operational realities and policy making, and to promote greater information sharing and co-ordination between agencies concerned with humanitarian action. The group includes representatives from non-governmental organizations, CIDA's International Humanitarian Assistance Division, and the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.