Second meeting of CDEMA carded for Dominica June 23

Roseau, Dominica – June 22, 2011….The Second Meeting of the Council of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) will be convened at the Fort Young Hotel on 23rd June, 2011. There are 18 member countries of CDEMA namely: Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago and Turks & Caicos Islands.  Honourable Charles Savarin, Minister for National Security, Labour and Immigration is the Chairman of the CDEMA Council.

The Agenda items for the Meeting include:
•    Reports on activities of CDEMA Member States
•    Financial Reports
•    Work Programme and Policy Considerations
•    Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction
•    Forecasts and Preparations for 2011 Hurricane Season

The highlight of the meeting is the presentation of the 2011 UN Global Assessment Report (GAR 11) on Disaster Risk Reduction.  The GAR 11 is a

major initiative of the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) that contributes to the achievement of the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) through monitoring risk patterns and trends as well as the progress in disaster risk reduction while providing strategic policy guidance for countries and the international community.

The objective of the GAR is to increase political and economic commitment to risk reduction as well as the effectiveness of risk reduction policy and strategies.  GAR 11 will provide national governments, regional and international organizations, civil society and other stakeholders with strategic policy advice on how to adapt to climate change and to reduce disaster risk.