4th Meeting of the Technical Advisory Committee of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA)

The 4th Meeting of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA)  held in Belize, from April 17-18. The Meeting is hosted by the Government of Belize through the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) and in collaboration with CDEMA.

Among the matters for consideration by the TAC are several key guiding documents including the five year Strategic Plan of the CDEMA Coordinating Unit (2013-2018) and the supporting Work Programme for the same period.  These are two critical documents and the recommendations going forward will influence the future direction of the Agency.

The Agenda also focuses on issues that are necessary for supporting the continued advancement of the Comprehensive Disaster Management programme.  These include: a modified approach to the use of the Country Directed Fund and the monitoring and evaluation of CDEMA’s work, potential areas of technical support for National Work Programme Delivery and National Comprehensive Disaster Management Legislation and Regulations.

With regard to emergency response, presentations will be made on revised and updated tools and procedures aimed at  improving the  regional coordination and management of the process including the Guidelines for the management of Regional Warehouses and the updated Regional Coordination Plan.   

The TAC is comprised of several of National Disaster Coordinators and representatives of specialized regional organizations, such as those engaged in technological, meteorological and seismological fields whose programmes are directly related to the regional disaster management agenda.

The regional institutions that are expected to participate at this Meeting are: Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre, Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology, CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS); The University of the West Indies Disaster Risk Reduction Centre and Seismic Research Centre. These institutions will apprise the TAC of their key programming results and upcoming initiatives which have implications for building disaster resilience in the Participating States.  This contributes to regional efforts towards a harmonized approach to disaster risk reduction in the Caribbean.