The 2001-2002 Appeal establishes that PADRU's role is to "improve the Red Cross's help to vulnerable people affected by disasters in America , strengthening the capacity of the National Societies and the Secretariat to provide timely and professional response services during emergencies".

In consequence, PADRU has two main functions:

•  Reinforce and strengthen local and regional capacity of the National Societies to respond to disasters.

•  Coordinate and make more efficient the international response of the Red Cross in Latin America and the Caribbean

PADRU is an instrument to improve the disaster response system in the region. It applies the general policies of the Federation in matters of disaster response, including the Sevilla Agreement, as well as the decisions taken by regional organizations such as the Inter-American Conference.

PADRU is an important tool in the system of the Federation to respond to disasters in America , which also includes other tools created by different National Societies, as well as the links that have been historically established in the region.

From this standpoint, PADRU will prove (and it already began to prove) that it is very useful for reinforcing and strengthening the ensemble of the system in the continent.