# Centro para la Acción de la Responsabilidad Social Empresarial en Guatemala (CentraRSE)
## OVERVIEW
### RISK PROFILE
Guatemala ranks in [the top five countries in the world most affected by floods, hurricanes, and earthquakes](https://climateknowledgeportal.worldbank.org/country/guatemala/vulnerability), with over 40% of the population exposed to five or more hazards at the same time. The country is exposed to both low frequency high impact events, such as earthquakes, volcanoes, and hurricantes, and high frequency low impact events such as floods and landslides.
In October 2024, two private sector networks from Guatemala joined the OCHA-UNDP Connecting Business initiatives as Member Networks:
- The [Comité Coordinador de Asociaciones Agrícolas, Comerciales, Industriales y Financieras](https://cacif.org.gt/) (the Coordinating Committee of Agricultural, Commercial, Industrial, and Financial Associations, or CACIF as per its acronym in Spanish), and
- [CentraRSE](https://centrarse.org/), a civil business association that promotes corporate social responsibility and sustainable development in the country.
### **About CentraRSE**
CentraRSE's mission is to transform business practices in Guatemala to achieve sustainable development in economic, social, and environmental dimensions. CentraRSE views disaster risk management as an integral component of overall sustainability, recognizing that environmental risks directly impact business continuity.
CentraRSE has partnered with UNICEF and other private sector entities to support crisis response efforts. During the [2018 Fuego volcano eruption](https://www.unicef.org/media/81981/file/Guatemala-SitRep-12-July-2018.pdf), CentraRSE, in partnership with BAC Credomatic, mobilized 9,000 kits of learning supplies and 250 teaching supply sets for affected children and schools, aiding in the continuity of education during the emergency and helping children return to school quickly thereafter.
Both CBI member networks will be working on procedures and mechanisms to protect businesses from sudden-onset emergencies and the impact of extreme weather events. They will also aim to empower the private sector to work more closely with the United Nations in times of peace so as to facilitate better disaster preparedness, response, and recovery.
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## Network at a glance
Host organization
Non-profit organization
Headquarters
Guatemala City, Guatemala
Number of members
100+ member companies
Scale / Business reach
N/A
Contact person
Kathy Paredes
Contact email
centrarse@centrarse.org
Areas of focus
Earthquake, Flood, Landslide, Tropical cyclone, Volcanic activity, Wildfire
## Most recent emergencies
## **l**atest from Guatemala
News October 18, 2024
### The Connecting Business initiative welcomes new partners from Chile and Guatemala
Three new organizations have joined the Connecting Business initiative (CBI) as partners, known as Member Networks. They were welcomed during a ceremonial launch as…
[The Connecting Business initiative welcomes new partners from Chile and Guatemala](https://connectingbusiness.org/news/new-partners-chile-guatemala/)
News November 18, 2025
### New partnership with SpaceX in Guatemala guarantees nationwide coverage during emergencies
\[En español mas abajo\] On Friday 17 November, Guatemala took a decisive step toward strengthening its national emergency communications system. In an event…
[New partnership with SpaceX in Guatemala guarantees nationwide coverage during emergencies](https://connectingbusiness.org/news/starlink-disasterriskreduction-guatemala/)