The challenges facing small island developing states will be high on the agenda at the next Americas Regional Platform on DRR

By Richard Waddington

CARTAGENA, 26 June 2018 – Jamaica’s hosting of the next Americas disaster risk reduction conference is a “glorious opportunity” to raise awareness of the challenges facing the small island developing states of the Caribbean, said Desmond McKenzie, Minister of Local Government and Community Development.

The Vl Regional Platform on Disaster Reduction in the Americas, held in Cartagena, Colombia, June 20-22, decided to convene the next forum in Jamaica. It is the first time that a regional platform will be held in the Caribbean, one of the world’s most vulnerable regions to extreme weather events and seismic activity.

“It is a glorious opportunity, not just for Jamaica, but for the region as a whole to have a real platform for expression of our positions on disaster risk and all the associated issues,” the minister said.

Around 85 per cent of the population of the Caribbean, which is bracing for the 2018 hurricane season, lives on or near the coast, which makes it particularly vulnerable, he said. The 2017 season was one of the deadliest, with two category 5 storms, the highest on the international scale.

McKenzie said the forum will raise awareness locally, regionally and internationally of the Caribbean’s position. “To be honest many of these platforms do not afford the Caribbean the kind of exposure that is required. So, I think the hosting of a conference within the Caribbean will give greater appreciation to its needs,” he said.

The United Nations lists Jamaica among countries most exposed to natural hazards such as earthquakes, hurricanes, landslides and flooding.