The national Government ordered the creation of the Federal Emergency Agency (AFE), a new decentralized body under the orbit of the Ministry of National Security, which will be responsible for coordinating actions in response to natural disasters in Argentina. The decision was formalized through decree 225/2025, published in the Official Gazette.
The AFE will be the highest national authority in the management of emergencies and catastrophes, with functions that include planning, prevention, immediate response, and coordination of post-crisis assistance. It will aim to centralize the State's actions in these situations, which until now were distributed among different agencies.
An agency to respond to emergencies
The decree establishes that the AFE will operate as a decentralized body within the Ministry of National Security, and will coordinate the available resources to respond to natural disasters. It will be responsible for implementing Law 27.287 of the National System for Comprehensive Risk Management (SINAGIR) and Law 26.815 on Fire Management.
Javier Milei creó la Agencia Federal de Emergencias para asistir ante catástrofes
According to the Government, the decision was driven by the wave of forest fires recorded in Patagonia and Corrientes, and the floods in Bahía Blanca and San Miguel de Tucumán. These recent events highlighted the need to unify the prevention strategy and response to emergencies.
"It is necessary to centralize in a single agency the strategies under the National State in terms of direct assistance in emergency situations, in order to reduce the negative effects on the affected population", states the decree signed by President Javier Milei and the Minister of Security, Patricia Bullrich.
How the AFE will be organized
The Federal Emergency Agency will be led by an executive director with the rank of secretary and an executive deputy director with the rank of undersecretary, both appointed by the President. The deputy director may replace the director in case of absence or vacancy, and it is expected that the director can delegate functions to optimize management.
Javier Milei creó la Agencia Federal de Emergencias para asistir ante catástrofes
Additionally, the AFE may request collaboration from the Directorate for Combating Forest Fires and Emergencies of the National Parks Administration. This department, which until now was under the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Interior, will work in coordination with the new agency in fire prevention and combat tasks.
The creation of this agency also involved modifications to Annex III of Decree 50/19, which establishes the competencies of decentralized bodies, incorporating the AFE within the structure of the Ministry of National Security.
Redefinition of functions in the Cabinet and other ministries
Meanwhile, the Government introduced changes to the Ministry Law 22.520 through decree 223/2025, redefining the functions of the Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers in relation to emergencies and catastrophes. Now, it is stipulated that the Chief of the Cabinet must "collaborate with national, provincial, or private entities, to protect the community against natural or man-made disasters". Additionally, he will intervene in the coordination of preventive and immediate response actions.
In the context of these structural modifications, changes were also approved in the ministries of Defense and National Security. In the Ministry of Defense, the Undersecretariat of Civil Defense and Humanitarian Protection was created, and other areas that previously had similar functions were eliminated.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Security incorporated new areas, such as the Undersecretariat of Penitentiary Affairs and the Secretariat for the Fight against Drug Trafficking and Organized Crime, which will include two specific undersecretariats: Fight against Drug Trafficking and Criminal Investigation.
Personnel allocations from the Ministry of Defense were also transferred to the Ministry of National Security, especially those related to planning and coordination in emergencies, to strengthen the operability of the new agency.
A national strategy to face catastrophes
With these measures, the Government seeks a more efficient and centralized management of natural and anthropic emergencies, ensuring a rapid and coordinated response from the national State. The creation of the AFE is seen as a key step to improve disaster prevention and mitigation, as well as the care of affected communities.
