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REMARKS FROM AMBASSADOR IRWIN LAROCQUE, CARICOM SECRETARY GENERAL

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana)     Warm greetings to all delegates and CDEMA staff attending the Eighth Caribbean Conference on Comprehensive Disaster Management.
I am honoured to provide brief remarks at the launch of the CDM Strategy 2014-2024, given the importance of this milestone event. I must apologise, however, for not being able to be present at the Conference in person, as anticipated, since this week I am engaged in our own consultative process, leading to the preparation of a Community Strategic Plan for presentation to the Conference of Heads of Government.
I would like to start by reflecting on the year 1991 when CARICOM Heads of Government, having recognized the critical link between disaster events and the sustainable development of our Member States, decided to take concrete actions by endorsing the establishment of a specialized disaster management agency.
Since its establishment, CDERA and now CDEMA has played a sterling role as the Region’s premier organization for disaster risk management. We can all agree that the Agency has led the way in this area.   Due to the efforts of CDEMA, there is now political awareness and support for disaster management and in particular the CDM Strategy and Framework across the Region, which has to date been through two iterations, corresponding to two implementation periods.
Over the past year, CDEMA has undergone an extensive consultation process with key stakeholders in the development of the third iteration of the CDM Strategy which will cover the period 2014-2024. I would like to applaud CDEMA for being a regional champion and broker for Comprehensive Disaster Management.
We have taken note that the CDM Strategy 2014-2024 maintains linkages with key international and regional development initiatives which Member States of CARICOM have agreed to implement. Of particular importance are: the United Nations Hyogo Framework for Action; the Millennium Development Goals; and the CARICOM Regional Framework for Achieving Development Resilient to Climate Change and the Implementation Plan both of which were developed by the CCCCC.
We are pleased to see that the priority thematic areas which the CARICOM Regional Framework seeks to promote, continue to be of significance to the revised Strategy. It seeks to build capacity in hazard mapping and vulnerability assessments (HVA), Community Based Disaster Management, early warning systems, vulnerable populations and knowledge management. As such, we see the new Regional CDM Strategy as a critical policy framework that supports the advancement of the overall regional development priorities and we commit our continued support to promote the CDM Agenda at the level of Heads of Government, to advance the results agreed to in the new Strategy.
I particularly wish to add my support to the call of CDEMA for recognition of the critical linkages between investment in the strengthening of the resilience of our countries and communities and reducing our social and economic losses from hazard impacts.
I encourage us all to take ownership of the new CDM Strategy and to use the opportunity presented by this CDM Conference to participate in the development of the Implementation Plan which will guide the roll out of the Strategy and the achievement of the regional results which it articulates.

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