Remarks by Jeremy Collymore, Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA) at the signing of the EU grant agreement with CDERA on 5 November 2008 at the Coordinating Unit

The Signing of this Implementation Agreement represents another major step in strengthening the framework for a sustainable disaster management mechanism in CARICOM.

(From left) Kerry Hinds, Director (ai) Department of Emergency Management , Barbados, Jeremy Collymore, CDERA Coordinator, Ambassador Valeriano Diaz, Head of the European Commission Delegation in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean and Fabian Griffin, Chief Project Analyst, National Authorising Office for the European Development Fund, Barbados at the signing ceremony at the CDERA Coordinating Unit

It embraces a commitment to implement key recommendations of an European Union (EU) financed organizational study.

Coming at a time when we are engaging in a transition process from the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA) to Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) the resources of this programme will support the building of the key pillars for an effective successor to CDERA.

The programme is a product of an intense consultation and participatory process involving Staff, Participating States, the Board and Council of the Agency and Partners.

The key elements addressed herein are Human Resource Management, ICT enhancement and application and an integrated project management platform at the Coordinating Unit (CU).  Given the rapid acceleration in staff growth, doubling within the last nine (9) months, Human Resource Systems development is at the forefront of this intervention.  It reflects our understanding that people are at the core of this organization. 

Additionally we accept the need to upscale the ICT application in our public education and awareness, disaster operations and general product development.  This programme provides the resources for an improved operational infrastructure for this agency and its successor.  It is part of a wider pool of EU support for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in CARIFORUM, and within CARICOM in particular; the scope of which includes continuity of government, strengthening the institutional framework for disaster related teaching and research and ICT platform for the CDERA mechanism.

Commencing in 2009, will be a complementary initiative resourced through the ACP/EU Natural Disaster Facility that will address the strengthening and resourcing of Community Based Disaster Planning, Emergency Operations Centre Strengthening and Evacuation Planning.

This hurricane season has again reminded us of the diversity of the threats we face and must manage if our socioeconomic progress is to be sustained.  No longer can we deny the need to revisit our operational capability.  These events we once took as infrequent, may now be more visible in the Disaster Management (DM) landscape and by extension our development landscape.

These EDF resoucres are creating a greenhouse for DM cooperation and growth.  Already, we are exploiting the synergies within the larger Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) Programme and particularly with CIDA/DFID support for priority Outcome 1, the institutional strengthening at the national and regional levels.

We are particularly indebted to the EU for responding to our earlier call for development resources to explicitly provide allocation for DRR.  Whilst Participating States may not as yet seriously explore this avenue of financing of Disaster Risk Management (DRM), the frequency of economic derailing events, will make this a reality sooner than later.

I would also like to take this opportunity to recognize the hard work of the project team at the Coordinating Unit, the DRAO and the Delegation personnel for working assiduously to realize this programme.  I take it to be a demonstration of a shared resolve to bring this project in, within schedule and budget.

Equally and importantly, we see this EU support as catalytic to the next dimension of our technical assistance relationship with the EU in particular, and with our CDM Partners in general.  We look forward to the day when DM is mainstreamed in development assistance dialogue at all levels.

We feel the sense of change and hope that the programme is ushering in.