MINISTER of State, Joseph Harmon, has announced that approval was granted for Guyana’s attendance at the tenth meeting of the Technical Advisory Committee of Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) in Bridgetown Barbados.
The engagement is scheduled to occur from April 8 to 12 2019, he said, and Allan Walters, Mitigation and Recovery Manager at the Civil Defence Commission was selected as Guyana’s representative.

Minister Harmon noted that this forum, organised by CDEMA, is to strategize on building a Caribbean pathway for disaster resilience in member states of the Caribbean.
“It is expected that this will be achieved through sharing best-practices and national resilient building strategies,” Harmon said.

Disaster resilience is the ability of individuals, communities, organisations and states to adapt to and recover from hazards, shocks or stresses, without compromising long-term prospects for development.
CDEMA therefore ensures that the 18 participating states are equipped with the necessary knowledge, since they are the regional inter-governmental agency for disaster management in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

The agency was established in 1991 as CDERA (Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency) with primary responsibility for the coordination of emergency response and relief efforts to participating States that require such assistance.

It transitioned to CDEMA in 2009 to fully embrace the principles and practice of Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM). CDM is an integrated and proactive approach to disaster management and seeks to reduce the risk and loss associated with natural and technological hazards and the effects of climate change to enhance regional sustainable development.