CDEMA and NEMO host sixth BRICS Project Steering Committee meeting

St Vincent and the Grenadines played host to a regional meeting that focussed on issues of climate change, disaster management and building resilience.

It was the sixth meeting of the BRICS Steering Committee which took place on June 19 and 20, 2025.

The Building the Resilience of CARIFORUM States to Disaster Risks and Climate Change Impacts (BRICS) Programme at the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) convened alongside the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO), a CDEMA release states.

The regional stakeholders came together to review progress, chart next steps, and strengthen collective action toward building disaster and climate resilience across the Caribbean.

Launched in February 2019, the BRICS Programme, funded by the European Union, was designed to reduce the vulnerability of CARIFORUM States by strengthening institutional systems, empowering communities, and enhancing coordination mechanisms.

Executive Director of CDEMA, Elizabeth Riley, said the programme has been a constant force in the face of a series of unprecedented challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic and intensifying storms.

“Through it all, the BRICS Programme has remained a consistent and responsive platform for resilience-building. It has evolved through the leadership of this Steering Committee, shaped by decisions made since our first meeting in 2020. Guided by the leadership of CARIFORUM and made possible through the steadfast support of the European Union and ECHO, BRICS has served as a vehicle for regional solidarity, capacity strengthening, and locally driven action.”

The project has seen several key achievements- from advanced comprehensive disaster management (CDM) blueprints in nine participating states, to over 200 personnel across 10 CARIFORUM States trained in logistics, emergency coordination, and early warning systems.

NEMO Director, Michelle Forbes, said the impact in SVG has also been notable.

“For us, the BRICS initiative came at a crucial juncture. In the wake of the catastrophic eruption of La Soufrière in 2021, St Vincent and the Grenadines faced not just the immediate challenges of recovery but also the pressing need to rebuild safer and more resilient communities. The BRICS Programme has been instrumental in helping us make concrete strides toward that goal.”

To date a total of US$85,460.82 has been disbursed in SVG to support training in national logistics and relief management in May, 2023, conducting a comprehensive after-action review following Hurricane Beryl, rolling out of a community tsunami awareness activity in Bequia, and post volcanic eruption support through the Country Directed Fund.

The European Union remains committed to the region through this partnership with CDEMA, and Programme Manager for Disaster Risk Management at the EU Delegation in Barbados, Virginie André, said as the project prepares to close off, the increased activity within the last year has been encouraging.

“The increased pace of implementation, new visibility and monitoring activities, and clear plans for outstanding interventions are strong signals of the region’s commitment to delivering meaningful impact,” she said.

“ The Steering Committee has also served as a model of collaborative governance, offering transparency, strategic direction, and accountability throughout the programme. As we look ahead to the final year, the EU encourages all partners to keep people at the centre of their implementation. Whether through the completion of shelter retrofits, procurement of critical recovery assets, or final rounds of training and simulations—we must ensure the tools we are leaving behind serve those most at risk.”

The participating CARIFORUM States are: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica,

Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St Vincent and Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands and the Virgin Islands.