Bridgetown, Barbados, April 6, 2010 – (CDEMA) – Senior government officials of the Sub-Regional Focal Points (SRFP) under the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) system will meet in Trinidad and Tobago on Wednesday, April 7, 2010 to discuss the strengthening of coordination for disaster response in the eighteen Participating States.
This consultation is being undertaken as part of a broader initiative of the ACP-EU funded Disaster Risks Management Sub-Regional Programme which seeks to build resilience of nations and communities in the Caribbean to hazard impacts. The European Commission (EC) and ACP Secretariat through its joint Natural Disaster Facility are providing CDEMA with €1.8 million over a two year period to aid in building more resilient communities. This meeting will bring together National Disaster Coordinators and Permanent Secretaries from the four Sub-Regional Focal Points. Discussions will focus on the lessons learnt from the Haiti response, a review of the role and responsibilities of the SRFP and coordination arrangements for the upcoming 2010 Hurricane Season.
The Sub-Regional Focal Points, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago are CDEMA’s frontline response to member states after a disaster event. Jamaica spearheaded the regional response to Haiti within 24 hours after the January 12 catastrophic earthquake.
Note to Editors:
1. The ACP-EU funded Disaster Risks Management Sub-Regional Programme for the Caribbean is being executed by the European Commission and implemented by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency. The overall objective of the ACP-EU Natural Disaster Facility Project for the Caribbean is to enhance the human safety level of the populations and to reduce the social, economic and environmental costs of natural disasters in the Caribbean region.
For further information on the Project, please contact:
Sarah Lionel at
2. The Sub-Regional Focal Points
To better manage an efficient disaster response, the 18 CDEMA Participating States are geographically grouped into four sub-regions, each of which is headed by an operation unit known as a Sub-Regional Focal Point.
Sub-regional structure
- Antigua and Barbuda: Anguilla, Montserrat, St.Kitts/Nevis and the Virgin Islands
- Barbados: Dominica, Saint Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines
- Jamaica: Bahamas, Belize, Haiti and Turks and Caicos Islands
- Trinidad and Tobago: Grenada, Guyana and Suriname