June 25, 2008 Bridgetown, Barbados (CDERA) - Regional ministers will meet in the Bahamas for the 17th Meeting of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA) Council of Ministers on June 27.

Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, as incoming Chair of the Council will address the regional ministers and disaster management personnel at the opening ceremony at the Wyndham Nassau Resort.

Before the ministers address the issues on the agenda, a symposium on Developments in Humanitarian Practice and Risk Reduction Financing will be held on June 26. The Pre-Council Symposium will brief disaster management policy makers from the CDERA Participating States on key aspects of global humanitarian reform and initiate dialogue on framing appropriate national and regional actions for interfacing and benefiting from these developments.

The Council is the supreme policy making body of CDERA and is comprised of the Heads of Governments of the sixteen Participating States. The Council meets annually to review CDERA’s work, approve its Work Programme and Administrative Budget, and make major policy decisions.

The Chairmanship of the Council is rotated annually and is held by the Country whose Head of Government is the current Chair of CARICOM.

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