Landmark workshop opens on gender and disaster management
By CDERA
Mon, 28 Nov 2005, 10:00
Rodney Bay, Saint Lucia, Nov 28, 2005 (CDERA) - A landmark workshop on gender and disaster management opened in Saint Lucia Monday attracting participants from over 40 key agencies in 16 Caribbean countries and Canada.
The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA) and the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) in collaboration with UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) were the catalysts for the hosting of the two-day workshop.
Manager of CDERA’s Mitigation and Research Unit, Elizabeth Riley, explained that the workshop was happening against the background of CDERA’s commitment to mainstream gender issues into disaster management across the Caribbean. This commitment was the result of a promise made to CIDA when it entrusted CDERA with the implementation of the Caribbean Hazard Mitigation Capacity Building Programme (CHAMP) which is an initiative to reduce vulnerability in the region to the impacts of natural hazards on the population, economy and built environment.
“It is no exaggeration to say that with no gender specialist on CDERA’s staff, we initially faced a challenge on this assignment, chartering previously untested waters at CDERA,” said Ms Riley.
“Exploration of the area has been a learning experience for the CDERA team …
capturing the opportunity of a 10 month project extension, we undertook to partner with UNIFEM to organize this workshop … for CDERA, the plan of action which we anticipate will emerge from this workshop will feed into the project sustainability plan and contribute to the longer term agency programming,” Ms Riley added.
Regional Representative of UNIFEM, Roberta Clarke, said there have been significant in-roads in various aspects of socio-economic life for women but there is still a long way to go. “Equally,” she said, “there can be no denial that the essence of inequality is a feature of the lives of many Caribbean women.”
She has also cautioned that “gender stereotypes” could be “hazardous for men and boys”. Understanding why they make certain choices within their own concepts of “masculinity” and within context of their socio-economic inequalities is an important ingredient into mainstreaming gender in natural hazard risk reduction.
“The point which I want to make here is that we cannot ignore social formations and cultural patterns in fashioning disaster responses. If we do that, we are sure to firstly not meet the needs effectively of the different segments of our populations and perhaps most importantly we lose the opportunity to ‘build back better’ – to use the slogan from Grenada after Ivan,” said Ms Clarke.
Tracie Howatt, Second Secretary (Development) of CIDA and Canadian Alternate Director to the CDB, said that gender equality and disaster risk reduction principles should and must guide all aspects of disaster mitigation, response and reconstruction. Gender specific data collection and analysis, she said, are vital inputs in planning for, managing, mitigating and recovering from disasters.
She cautioned participants, at the opening of the workshop, to avoid “false generalities and cultural, economic, political and sexual stereotypes” at all costs, in the development and implementation of preparedness, response, mitigation, and reconstruction strategies.
“Women and men alike must be assured of a human rights approach. Democratic and participatory initiatives and modalities are therefore important. The capacities of both women and men must be respected and developed,” said Ms Howatt.
Senior Affairs Officer of ECLAC, Ms Asha Kambon, lauded the workshop as a vehicle for raising awareness and providing relevant gender analysis tools to the many participating agencies which can influence the policy process on the ground.
She said the meeting was “very significant” for several reasons. Topping her list was that such a workshop was essential for planners in the region, be they economic, social, environmental or gender planners to situate the issue of natural disasters within the discourse of the development of the Caribbean.
The workshop was officially opened by Minister of Gender Affairs of Saint Lucia, the Honourable Damien Greaves.
The full text of the speeches is available online at:
Minister Greaves – PENDING
Elizabeth Riley – PENDING
Roberta Clarke – PENDING
Tracie Howatt – PENDING
Asha Kambon – PENDING
Further Information Contact:
Elizabeth Riley
Programme Manager Mitigation and Research
CDERA
Tel: (246) 425-0386
Fax: (246) 425-8854
Email: cdera@caribsurf.com