Improving global prehospital and emergency medicine, public health, and disaster health care and preparedness

Cape Town, South Africa – 2015

The Officers and Directors of the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine would like to thank all the delegates for participating in Congress in Cape Town! More than 800 delegates, representing 63 countries, participated in the four-day event. We hope you had a worthwhile experience and the opportunity to share research, exchange ideas, expand your networks, and meet up with some old friends (and hopefully make some new ones too).

WADEM would like to acknowledge Anthea Davison for photography at the Congress – https://www.neko-lime.co.za.


WADEM would like to pay a special acknowledgment to our Congress partners:

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Cape Town Statement

Whereas, the 19th WADEM Congress on Disaster and Emergency Medicine of the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine and the Emergency Medicine Society of South Africa was convened in Cape Town, South Africa 21-24 April 2015; and

Whereas, the theme of the Congress was “Creating Capacity and Building Resilience;” and

Whereas, the Congress was attended by more than 800 participants; and

Whereas, 187 Member States of the United Nations adopted the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 at the 3rd World Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai, Japan, on 18 March 2015; and

Whereas, the Sendai Framework addresses many issues related to health before, during, and following disasters; and

Whereas, the Sendai Framework reiterates the “commitment to disaster risk reduction and the building of resilience to disasters” and places a strong emphasis on strengthening the evidence base and the role of science for effective disaster risk reduction; and

Whereas, information and discussions by the participants in the Congress affirmed the inclusion of health in the overall goal and outcome, and health-related principles, and priority actions outlined within the Sendai Framework;

Therefore, be it resolved that the Congress participants endorse the precepts outlined in the Sendai Frameworks, and support continuing and renewed initiatives to assist in meeting the health-related goals and priorities as outlined in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030.

Date: 24 April 2015
Cape Town, South Africa