Friday, April 27 – The strengthening and acceleration of regional
disaster programmes as well as their vulnerabilities are currently being
discussed amongst regional disaster management directors and specialized
regional organizations at a meeting hosted by CDEMA in Barbados.
Mrs. Rosalie Adams is serving as the chairperson for the 3rd Meeting of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency’s (CDEMA) Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). In her opening remarks Mrs. Adams said, “We are here to continue to develop the strategic goals of the organization and to provide technical advice to the Council of Ministers of CDEMA. As with all Governments, including the Virgin Islands, we take disaster management seriously. We have benefited significantly from the support of the CDEMA mechanism which has allowed us to advance our national level programmes“.
Mrs. Adams also chairs the Board of Directors of the Regional Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Information System for the Disaster Risk Management (DRM) and Climate Change Adaptation in the Caribbean Tourism Sector. This system, funded by the International Development Bank (IDB), has been implemented by CDEMA.
This year’s
discussions will focus on the further strengthening and acceleration of the
regional Comprehension Disaster Management (CDM) programme, especially the
operational protocols for the Roving Technical Support Team of CDEMA that
provide specialized assistance to the Participating States specifically in the
implementation of national initiatives.
Also on the agenda
for discussion are the tools for developing a national CDM Policy, the Climate
Smart Community Disaster Management Programme and mainstreaming Climate Change
Adaptation into the CDM Country Work Programmes. The TAC will receive reports from four
Sub-Committees, including the Work Programme Development and Review
Sub-Committee which is chaired by the Director of the Department of Disaster
Management, Ms. Sharleen S. DaBreo.
TAC, part of the
governance mechanism of CDEMA, provides strategic guidance on the development
and implementation of the regional CDM Programme. The current meeting is
being held from the 26-27 April. This gathering comprises Directors of the
National Disaster Organizations (NDOs) of CDEMA’s 18 Participating States along
with specialized regional organizations, such as the Seismic Research Centre of
the University of the West Indies, the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and
Hydrology (CIMH) and the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC).
The Feature Address
at the Opening Ceremony was delivered by the Acting Attorney General and
Minister of Home Affairs in Barbados, Mr. Michael Lashley. He spoke about the
financial challenges affecting NDOs, including the office in Barbados, but gave
the assurance that his Government is committed to providing support to the
Department of Emergency Management to allow for a full implementation of the
local CDM Programme.
During the Ceremony,
the current Executive Director of CDEMA, Mr. Jeremy Collymore, announced that
he will be demitting office in December of this year after serving more than 20
years in this capacity. Mr. Collymore said, “I thank you for your support over
the years I have been in this office and I urge you to sustain this vigilance
as it critical to the effective governance and survival of this agency. I urge you to shake off the cloud of
complacency that is begging to gather in our system. Length of service and knowledge must not blunt
our need to stay focused on your mission.
Business as usual is not the business of Sustainability.”
The
Third Meeting of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) is being hosted by the
CDEMA Coordinating Unit with the support of the Government of Barbados through
the Department of Emergency Management.
