Climate change, geopolitics and cross-border collaboration were on the agenda when Disaster Management Director Jasen Penn met with his counterparts from around the region last week in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Mr. Penn represented the Virgin Islands at the 16th meeting of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency Technical Advisory Committee (CDEMA-TAC) held from April 7 through Friday.
At the annual session, heads of national disaster management agencies discuss the CDEMA Coordinating Unit’s work programme and activities designed to benefit all 20 participating states, according to the Department of Disaster Management.
Mr. Penn said the TAC is an example of regional cooperation for emergency preparedness, mitigation and response.
“Between climate change and global political changes, the hazard and response landscapes are evolving,” he said. “We may not know what the next hazard impact will be, but we do know that collaborating with our Caribbean neighbours puts us in the best possible position to respond effectively.”
Topics addressed
Among other topics, delegates discussed recent emergency impacts in participating states, the Regional Response Mechanism, and plans for the next regional comprehensive disaster management strategic framework, according to DDM.
TCI Governor Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam emphasised the importance of such collaboration in responding to natural and man-made hazards.
“No one country or agency can meet these challenges alone,” she said. “It is only through collaboration, innovation and shared responsibility that we can build resilience for each of our states and across the region.”
Member states
CDEMA includes 20 participating states.
Besides the VI and the TCI, they include Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, the Cayman Islands, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.
The TAC is CDEMA’s technical and programmatic advisoryarm, and TAC members include national disaster coordinators ofall participating states along with representatives of specialised regional organisations with mandates relevant to disaster management in the Caribbean.
