Fortaleza (Ceará state) – Educators, health personnel and social workers from Duque de Caxias, Fortaleza, Florianópolis, Porto Alegre, Río de Janeiro, São Paulo, Salvador and Vila Velha met in Fortaleza on 3 and 4 December 2024 for the Ninth National Meeting of the Safer Access Network for Essential Public Services. The event was organized by the ICRC with the support of Alcaldía City Council.

The theme was “intersectorality in the building of sustainable Safer Access” and the event brought together some 130 government agencies and practitioners for discussion of how to promote intersectoral activity on Safer Access as a strategy for mitigating the consequences of armed violence. The Escola de Dança Urbana da Rede Cuca (Cuca Network Urban Dance School) gave a performance at the opening ceremony.

The Safer Access framework aims to promote a safe environment and to strengthen the resilience of public service personnel working in areas affected by armed violence, to ensure that people can exercise their right to receive services in such areas. The programme has been implemented by some 48,000 staff, in 1,935 units, working in eight Brazilian cities. As a result, risk management has become increasingly aligned with local situations.