March 18th, 2024, Bridgetown - Barbados was the venue for the fifth meeting of the Regional Technical Working Group on Disaster Risk Assessment (RTWG) of the Physical and Environmental Planning Sector Subcommittee of the Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) Coordination and Harmonization Council.
The two-day meeting held under the theme, ‘Towards a Multi-Hazard Risk Assessment Framework for the Caribbean’ was organized by the University of Twente, Centre for Disaster Resilience (CDR), (UT-CDR) in partnership with CDEMA, and support from Global Mountain Safeguard Research (GLOMOS), United Nations University on February 27th and 28th, at the Marriott-Courtyard Hotel.
In addressing the opening, Disaster Risk Management Specialist with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency, Dr. Nicole Greenidge told those gathered “that a priority goal of the (RTWG) for 2024 is the development, promotion and use of agreed methodological approaches for risk assessments to address hazards within CDEMA Participating States.”
The hybrid meeting which was financed through support from the EU-funded PARATUS project, (Promoting disaster preparedness and resilience by co-developing stakeholder support tools for managing the systemic risk of compounding disasters), was convened to review its current status and future direction, develop a plan for the risk assessment methodology in view of climate change and development scenarios and exchange knowledge on risk assessment approaches within SIDS from different regions.
Project Coordinator, Professor Dr. Cees van Westen explained that the [PARATUS] project will develop risk assessments and “impact-scenarios” that are responsible for complex hazard interactions in case study areas, Romania, Istanbul, the Alpines and the Caribbean.
Meanwhile, Co-chair of the Working Group and the Caribbean Planners Association’s representative, Dr. Yolanda Alleyne said ‘risk assessments are a very important tool in the spatial planning toolkit and the availability of risk assessment data makes for better development planning and decision making on proposed public and private investments within the region.’
A key takeaway from the workshop was made by Senior Infrastructure and Development Advisor in the Prime Minister’s Office, Daniel Best who said that risk must be understood within the wider context of development.
The work of the RTWG covers five areas related to risk assessment (RA); capacity for RA; development of risk profiles for priority hazards for Physical and Economic Development Planning; Methodological approaches for risk assessments; Validation and Promotion of tools for RA; and the provision of technical support in understanding RA, developing, and revising RA or risk profiles.
The workshop was attended by more than twenty-five participants- both in-person and online from organisations including the Council of Caribbean Engineering Organizations, the Caribbean Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology, the Climate Studies Group at UWI-Jamaica, the Coastal Zone Management Unit in Barbados, the University of Technology and the UWI Seismic Research Centre in Trinidad and Tobago.
For further information, please contact:
Keith Goddard
Communications and Public Relations Specialist
CARIBBEAN DISASTER EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY (CDEMA) Suite #3, Building #1, Manor Lodge Complex, Lodge Hill, St. Michael Barbados Email: