Parliamentary Delegation: Regional Security, Resilience, and Gender Equity in a Converging Risk Landscape

On March 27, 2025, Monica Sanders, founder of The Undivide Project and visiting professor at Georgetown University, participated in the high-level panel "Regional Security in a Changing Context" during the ParlAmericas Parliamentary Delegation in Washington, D.C. This event, held in preparation for the X Summit of the Americas, addressed traditional threats such as narcotrafficking and arms trafficking, alongside emerging challenges like cybersecurity, disinformation, and climate disasters.

Sanders highlighted the convergence of risks, such as cyberattacks during extreme weather events, and their disproportionate impact on vulnerable communities, like the indigenous Maya along the Honduras-Belize border, affected by droughts and food insecurity. She emphasized the need for integrated security frameworks combining climate, infrastructure, and cybersecurity, with a focus on gender equity.

Key Points

• Women represent only 20-24% of the cybersecurity workforce in Latin America and the Caribbean.
• 91% of women have witnessed online violence, a problem exacerbated in crisis contexts.
• Inclusive policies are needed to incorporate women’s expertise as risk reduction experts. 

Recommendations include adopting multihazard risk governance, investing in resilient infrastructure and open data, and strengthening regional cooperation against arms trafficking. These ideas reinforce the goals of the Sendai Framework and UNDRR’s 2024 Global Risk Assessment Report, focusing on integrated systems and underrepresented voices.

What to expect?

The panel explored legislative and collaborative strategies to strengthen security and resilience across the hemisphere. After addressing converging risks in cybersecurity, climate, and infrastructure, parliaments are urged to adopt:

1. Integrated governance for cascading threats (e.g., cyber-attacks in disasters); 
2. Resilient and decentralized infrastructure with digital redundancy; 3; 
3. Inclusive workforce development and public awareness, prioritizing gender equity; 4; 
4. Better data governance and intelligence sharing; 
5. Equitable policies with local data to protect the vulnerable. Aligned with Sendai GAP and RAR24, promoted moving from siloed approaches to anticipatory resilience, driving cross-sectoral collaboration for a unified response.

📅 Date: 25-27 March 2025
📍 Where: Washington DC