The first 68 specialists in natural disaster risk management, prevention and recovery have graduated from the public National University of Honduras, as part of efforts to build capacity in order to reduce the vulnerability of this Central American nation. The graduates completed an eight-month diploma course, taught by national and regional experts, which included risk mapping, disaster management planning, and climate change adaptation strategies, university rector Julieta Castellanos told Tierramérica.

One of the country’s shortcomings in confronting hurricanes, flooding and landslides is "the lack of training for specialized personnel, which is why we want to contribute knowledge from the academic community to help deal with these problems," she added.

The initiative is supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the United Nations Development Programme and Honduran government agencies.