JOINT PRESS RELEASE FROM MAHLE AND DMCA

BRADES, Montserrat, Wednesday, 19 July 2023 - Montserrat's attendance at a two-day workshop on Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation in Trinidad has yielded some positive results for the island.

Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Agriculture, Housing, lands and the Environment (MAHLE) Beverley Mendes and Public Information and Education Officer at the Disaster Management Coordination Agency (DMCA) Shirlian Queeley participated in the July 11th to 12th workshop in Port of Spain to finalize discussion on a roadmap for an integrated disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation approach in the Caribbean region which includes Montserrat.

Miss Queeley, who was selected as one of the moderators for the Climate Risk Management (CRM) workshop prior to the convening, successfully and confidently moderated a session on “Tools and Guidance Supporting an integrated approach for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation” on the final day of the gathering.

Coming out of the CRM workshop, Montserrat was given the green light by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) that funding has been sourced through the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) to assist the island in developing its Country Work Programme for comprehensive disaster management for the island. The Country Work Programme (CWP) is a systematic way to address Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) at the country level while fulfilling Montserrat’s commitments to the regional CDM Strategy 2014 –2024, and the international Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) 2015 – 2030, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), among others.

Mrs Mendes and Miss Queeley described the just concluded regional CRM Workshop in Trinidad as incredibly valuable, highly beneficial, and they were able to highlight the challenges facing Montserrat as well as gain some new perspectives on Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation.

Miss Queeley added that being a moderator at such an important regional conference was not an easy feat at all, as it was her first time attending this type of gathering. She said being a moderator for the Climate Risk management workshop has motivated and inspired her to learn more, persuade decision-makers, and hopefully inspire action and change towards Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation in Montserrat.

The CRM workshop brought together more than 60 government officials from ministries, departments and agencies across the Caribbean region responsible for disaster risk reduction and climate, minimizing and addressing losses and damages. 

The aim of the workshop was to enhance the understanding of the nexus between disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, further developing the capacities of Caribbean countries in pursuing integrated approaches for comprehensive risk management and supporting regional efforts in streamlining climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction measures in light of past and projected climate change impacts.

The gathering provided an opportunity to discuss means for synergistic planning and implementation while enhancing understanding of the nexus between disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA) to avert, minimize and address losses and damages.

The CRM workshop, supported by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) in collaboration with the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was co-organized by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) and the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC), and hosted by the government of Trinidad and Tobago.

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