Pacific Inputs at Comprehensive Disaster Risk Management Meeting in the Caribbean
[December 8, 2011 – Port of Spain, Trinidad] A delegation from the Pacific attended a regional meeting of disaster managers and stakeholders this week in Trinidad, to exchange experiences and best practices with colleagues from across the Caribbean region. The similar geography, climate trends and limited size of populations of small island states in both regions creates similar challenges for disaster risk management.
The Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) conference is convened by the Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) and hosted this year by Trinidad’s Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management. Over the course of the week-long conference, the annual meeting brought together national disaster managers, regional agencies, donors and other stakeholders involved in reducing the impact of disasters on this region’s population.
The Pacific delegation was led this year by the Honorable Minister Mark Brown from Cook Islands, the highest level representation so far in these regional exchanges. The Minister spoke at a plenary session demonstrating the commitment at the highest levels of government to systematically invest in risk management investments across all sectors of the country’s national planning, which is already being put into practice in Cook Islands. He outlined that Cook Islands’ approach involves a high level of preparedness at Emergency Management Cook Islands (EMCI), combined with ongoing investment in mapping hazards and adapting to climate change. One concrete measure taken was to locate EMCI within the Prime Minister’s Office, to ensure the highest priority for disaster risk management.
During one of the conference sessions, Charles Carlson, the Director of Emergency Management Cook Islands (EMCI), shared lessons learned from that country’s recent experience when it was struck by Cyclone Pat. This cyclone particularly devastated the island of Aitutaki, one of the country’s prime tourist destinations. Mr. Carlson notes, “we thought we had everything in place, but there’s nothing like getting tested by a cyclone.” As a result of that experience, Cook Islands is now establishing a trust fund in order to be able to respond quickly in such disasters. The parameters of this trust fund were outlined for the Caribbean colleagues, as a relevant model that could be applied in other small islands whose economies also rely heavily on income from tourism.
One of the topics addressed at the conference was the use of information technologies to enhance disaster risk management. Ms. Samantha Cook, a macro-economist from SOPAC division of SPC, impressed the audience with a detailed exposition on the PICRAFI risk mapping database which is being set up in the Pacific. The intensive technical field work undertaken to gather this data has led to a very comprehensive mapping of flood, earthquake and other risks in several Pacific islands.
The conference also included a film festival on community experiences in disaster risk management. Cook Islands featured a film made on the outer island of Mauke, which documents how islanders read the traditional signs from nature in order to anticipate and prepare for incoming cyclones. The conservation of traditional coping practices such as these is acknowledged as an area of strength in the Pacific, while such skills have faded in the more modernized societies of the Caribbean.
Another Pacific representative was Ms. Antonneth Arnhambat, from Vanuatu’s Ministry of Finance and Economic Management. She shared the experience of the Vanuatu Budget Management System, which harmonizes the budget allocations and integrates disaster risk management across all sectors of national planning. This innovative model sparked great interest among the Caribbean countries.
Ms. Andria Grosvenor of CDEMA noted, “this is the third consecutive year that Pacific colleagues have traveled half way across the world to participate in the CDM. We are always happy to host them, as we face similar challenges, and it is a pleasure to see the growth and development in disaster risk management.”
The Pacific delegation was brought to the Caribbean meeting under the auspices of the project “South-South Cooperation between Pacific and Caribbean Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) on Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management” which encourages a systematic sharing of knowledge and experiences to strengthen community safety and resilience to a range of natural disasters in both regions.
The project is coordinated by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Pacific Centre, with extensive support from the regional UNDP Barbados/OECS office. Partners in the Caribbean include Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), INSMET (National Cuban Meteorological Institute), the Caribbean Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH), CARICOM Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) and University of the West Indies (UWI). Key partners from the Pacific region include the South Pacific Regional Environmental Programme (SPREP), Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and University of the South Pacific (USP). National agencies in both regions also play an important role.
The south-south project is supported by the UNDP’s Special Unit for South-South Cooperation and by the UNDP-Japan Partnership Fund.
[Ends]
The Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) conference is convened by the Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) and hosted this year by Trinidad’s Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management. Over the course of the week-long conference, the annual meeting brought together national disaster managers, regional agencies, donors and other stakeholders involved in reducing the impact of disasters on this region’s population.
The Pacific delegation was led this year by the Honorable Minister Mark Brown from Cook Islands, the highest level representation so far in these regional exchanges. The Minister spoke at a plenary session demonstrating the commitment at the highest levels of government to systematically invest in risk management investments across all sectors of the country’s national planning, which is already being put into practice in Cook Islands. He outlined that Cook Islands’ approach involves a high level of preparedness at Emergency Management Cook Islands (EMCI), combined with ongoing investment in mapping hazards and adapting to climate change. One concrete measure taken was to locate EMCI within the Prime Minister’s Office, to ensure the highest priority for disaster risk management.
During one of the conference sessions, Charles Carlson, the Director of Emergency Management Cook Islands (EMCI), shared lessons learned from that country’s recent experience when it was struck by Cyclone Pat. This cyclone particularly devastated the island of Aitutaki, one of the country’s prime tourist destinations. Mr. Carlson notes, “we thought we had everything in place, but there’s nothing like getting tested by a cyclone.” As a result of that experience, Cook Islands is now establishing a trust fund in order to be able to respond quickly in such disasters. The parameters of this trust fund were outlined for the Caribbean colleagues, as a relevant model that could be applied in other small islands whose economies also rely heavily on income from tourism.
One of the topics addressed at the conference was the use of information technologies to enhance disaster risk management. Ms. Samantha Cook, a macro-economist from SOPAC division of SPC, impressed the audience with a detailed exposition on the PICRAFI risk mapping database which is being set up in the Pacific. The intensive technical field work undertaken to gather this data has led to a very comprehensive mapping of flood, earthquake and other risks in several Pacific islands.
The conference also included a film festival on community experiences in disaster risk management. Cook Islands featured a film made on the outer island of Mauke, which documents how islanders read the traditional signs from nature in order to anticipate and prepare for incoming cyclones. The conservation of traditional coping practices such as these is acknowledged as an area of strength in the Pacific, while such skills have faded in the more modernized societies of the Caribbean.
Another Pacific representative was Ms. Antonneth Arnhambat, from Vanuatu’s Ministry of Finance and Economic Management. She shared the experience of the Vanuatu Budget Management System, which harmonizes the budget allocations and integrates disaster risk management across all sectors of national planning. This innovative model sparked great interest among the Caribbean countries.
Ms. Andria Grosvenor of CDEMA noted, “this is the third consecutive year that Pacific colleagues have traveled half way across the world to participate in the CDM. We are always happy to host them, as we face similar challenges, and it is a pleasure to see the growth and development in disaster risk management.”
The Pacific delegation was brought to the Caribbean meeting under the auspices of the project “South-South Cooperation between Pacific and Caribbean Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) on Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management” which encourages a systematic sharing of knowledge and experiences to strengthen community safety and resilience to a range of natural disasters in both regions.
The project is coordinated by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Pacific Centre, with extensive support from the regional UNDP Barbados/OECS office. Partners in the Caribbean include Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), INSMET (National Cuban Meteorological Institute), the Caribbean Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH), CARICOM Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) and University of the West Indies (UWI). Key partners from the Pacific region include the South Pacific Regional Environmental Programme (SPREP), Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and University of the South Pacific (USP). National agencies in both regions also play an important role.
The south-south project is supported by the UNDP’s Special Unit for South-South Cooperation and by the UNDP-Japan Partnership Fund.
[Ends]
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