Antigua & Barbuda Reaffirms Commitment to CDEMA

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Health News

Saturday, 30 June 2012 02:30

By caribarena news

Antigua St. John’s - Minister of Health, Social Transformation, and Consumer Affairs Willmoth Daniel has reaffirmed government’s commitment to the continued financial support of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA).

Daniel was speaking, on June 29 at the 3rd Meeting of the Council of the Ministers of CDEMA in Kingston, Jamaica.
 
He told the Ministerial Council that, “even in these challenging economical times Antigua & Barbuda continues to make its financial contribution to CDEMA. We are honouring the agreement made to pay off the arrears while keeping our contributions current.”
 
CDEMA’s emergency fund’s adjustment from $50,000 to $200,000 was supported by Antigua & Barbuda and the other Caribbean countries.
 
“This is the first adjustment since the inception of CDEMA, even if we have to pay in installments. This is critical based on the challenges that came out of the response to Haiti,” the minister said.
 
With respect to the critical issues for Antigua & Barbuda, during the presentation of the country’s report and policy recommendations, Daniel explained that “the Cabinet of Antigua & Barbuda has taken steps to ensure that greater attention is paid to building resilience into public sector projects.”
 
This, he said, is to “address a more robust intervention into disaster management activities in our school programme, in the workplace and specialised intervention into public safety activities, especially mass gatherings.”
 

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As it relates the issue of safety, the minister noted that, “our early childhood facilities and homes for the aged are also high on the government’s agenda for specialised intervention. The Cabinet has also mandated that at the end of august 2012, all schools government departments must complete the transition of their plants to the comprehensive disaster management requirements.”
 
Other measures outlined in the report were the completion of a comprehensive disaster management strategy, a pilot project in St. Mary’s South which deals specifically with community profile and multi-hazard vulnerability intervention options to be included in the government development program, which  should result in a significant reduction in the level of vulnerability to the population in this community. The programme will be replicated in all 17 districts over the next few years.
 
The National Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) Policy and Framework, will serve as the blueprint within each CDEMA Participating State.
 
During the meeting, the parties endorsed the National Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) Policy and Legal Framework adaptation guide which will pave the way for Antigua & Barbuda disaster management work programme 2013-2015.
The work mandated under the plan will require a more proactive and improved partnership with the government’s lead agency, the National Office of Disaster Services.
 
Minister Daniel thanked the outgoing chair and wished him all the best in his future endeavors and challenged the new generation of management at CDEMA to “maintain and build on the many great achievements so far, and remain focused as we move forward in reducing the Caribbean risk and build a better life for our people.”
 

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