The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) has begun the second annual round of consultations with senior government officials intended to improve the capacity of its Sub-Regional Focal Points (SRFPs) to respond to disasters within their sub-regions.
14 February 2012: The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) has begun the second annual round of consultations among senior government officials in each of its four Sub-regions.
The consultations, to be held at each of CDEMA’s Sub-Regional Focal Points (SRFPs), started with a meeting held from 14-15 February 2012, in Antigua and Barbuda, for the Eastern Sub-Region, which includes Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands, Montserrat, and St. Kitts and Nevis.
The consultations are part of the broader three-year Disaster Risk Management Sub-Regional Programme, which received EU funding of €1.8 million. The Programme aims to build the resilience of Caribbean States to hazard impacts. The consultations seek to improve the capacity of the SRFPs to respond to disasters within their sub-regions.
The first round of consultations, held in 2011, focused on the sub-regional structure, functions and coordination arrangements, and identified resource gaps in disaster response for each State. The 2012 consultations focus on familiarizing stakeholders with national and regional disaster operational plans, as well as the roles and responsibilities of SRFPs in the CDEMA Regional Response Mechanism.
The other three sub-regional consultations will be held over the next four months in the other SFRPs, namely Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago. [CDEMA Press Release]