Turkey makes donation to Trinidad-based ACS

The Trinidad-based Association of Caribbean States (ACS) has received financial assistance from the Government of Turkey to support its work in disaster reduction in the Greater Caribbean.

Last month, it received US$ 15,000 which brings to US$ 27,000 the total amount contributed by Turkey this year.

The fund will go towards financing the High-Level Conference on Risk Reduction, Mitigation of the Effects and Recovery from Natural Disasters that will, for the first time ever, bring together the Ministers and high level officials in charge of disaster reduction in the Greater Caribbean for an exchange of information, lessons learnt and best practices and for the approval of a Plan of Action on cooperation in the field at the national, regional and international levels.{{more}}

The donation also represents the continuation of a yearly Turkish tradition of support for the work of the ACS in the field of disaster reduction, its important financing of the Workshop Seminar on Natural Disasters held in Havana in 2005 being the latest instance.

The people and governments of Turkey are no strangers to the effects of nature’s wrath upon human life, property and sustainable development, having suffered throughout history from the consequences of being in contact with major geological fault lines which have brought about devastating earthquakes with victims numbering in the tens of thousands.

Although in recent years the Turkish international agenda has been focused on its bid to join the European Union, the country’s leaders have recognised the need to maintain significant links to the rest of the global community. In fact, Turkey’s recent generosity towards the ACS is inspired by the government’s declaration of 2006 as “The Year of Latin America and the Caribbean”.