Regional workshop aims to improve disaster risk management

Across the Caribbean, countries are working together to improve national and regional spatial data management to increase the access to and the use of such data to inform decisions about disaster risk management (DRM) and climate change adaptation (CCA).{{more}}

As part of efforts to continue these improvements, a three-day regional workshop on Caribbean Risk Disaster Management and Climate Change Adaptation was held at the National Insurance Services (NIS) Conference Room.

The workshop, which ran from November 12 to 14, had as its objectives to share regional experiences of informed decision making for climate resilience; understand applications of spatial data in DRM/CCA decision-making; demonstrate the current use of ecosystem-based adaptation (EBA) and applicants in the Caribbean and to increase co-ordination between agencies and countries, developing a support network.

The participating countries were: Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, St Lucia, St Kitts and host country St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Local participant groups included the Ministry of Housing, Ministry of transport and works, national disaster management agencies and the Red Cross.

The workshop was facilitated by officials from the World Bank.

World Bank official Bishwa Pandey, who is also the senior Data Management specialist for Latin America and the Caribbean region, said the workshop builds upon national and regional activities to provide participants an opportunity to learn from case studies, hands-on training, and the development of a work plan to share lessons with their respective ministry or agency.

“At the end of this three-day session, I believe that you will go back to your respective organizations better prepared to manage the data, collect the data and using the data for the full purpose of reducing the disaster risk that the Caribbean region suffers so much,” he said, while addressing the opening ceremony on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Minister of Housing, Informal Human Settlements, Lands and Surveys and Physical Planning Montgomery Daniel, in his remarks, said the workshop builds upon national and regional activities and provides participants the opportunity to use hands-on training to develop our own plan that will assist in sharing lessons among their respective ministries.

“I wish that all of us, who were invited to this workshop, participate actively and to use such enhanced knowledge in data management and analysis to inform the decision making process related to disaster risk management and climate change adaptation,” Daniel stated.

In October 2011, an Eastern Caribbean regional workshop was held in Grenada to discuss challenges and propose solutions to harmonize data sharing and management across ministries, countries and regional agencies. Since then, a broader Caribbean community of data and risk management practitioners was established to exchange knowledge, share lessons, discuss tools and support spatial data integration into decision-making processes.(AA)