opinion

It is perhaps a minor (though irresistible) footnote that the Beagle’s last call before going on to London was at Port Louis, Mauritius, where 166 years later the international community would meet to discuss the further implementation of the Program of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The quote is not to be lost upon the countries of the Greater Caribbean (GC), where at least 64 percent of ACS Membership is made up of SIDS.

Given the renewed focus on the Millennium Development Goals and poverty eradication, this takes on greater relevance since, as is often the case; it is the poor who suffer most from nature’s wrath. The matter is of such urgency, that the recent Summit of the Americas even took time out from the FTAA to include in its declaration language calling for action at the national, regional and international levels to strengthen disaster management programs that include disaster mitigation, early warning and recovery.

Developing countries, especially SIDS, warrant particular attention given their pronounced vulnerability and risk levels, which often greatly exceed their capacity to prepare and respond to as well as recover from disasters. That this should be self-evident has not precluded the constant need to reiterate it, especially over the past couple of years, in which the ferocity and frequency of natural phenomena targeting human settlements in our region have increased to the point where human losses continue to mount, material damage has soared and after Wilma, we ran out of letters in our alphabet to name the storms to follow (though my friends Xavier, Yolanda and Zoila remain mystified).

There is wide consensus on the need to enhance international and regional cooperation and assistance in the field of disaster risk reduction through the transfer of knowledge, technology and expertise to enhance capacity-building for disaster risk reduction, the sharing of research findings, awareness-raising initiatives, lessons learned and best practices and the compilation of information on disaster risk and impact for all scales of disasters.

To these ends, states should foster greater strategic coordination, based on a strengthened UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR). States need to seriously consider the implementation and strengthening of relevant international and regional legal instruments related to disaster risk reduction, such as the ACS Agreement for Regional Cooperation on Natural Disasters, whilst relevant regional and international organizations, such as the ACS, the ISDR and the Red Cross, are called upon to promote programs for technical cooperation; capacity development; the development of methodologies and standards for hazard and vulnerability monitoring and assessment; the sharing of information and the effective mobilization of resources. Organizations should also continue to be encouraged to establish or strengthen existing specialized regional collaborative centers to undertake research, training, education and capacity-building in the field of disaster risk reduction.

The ACS fosters cooperation between the bodies responsible for disaster planning and response in our region. It is only through this type of umbrella arrangement that the GC can harness the economies of scale necessary to take effective advantage of both the international cooperation mandated by the UN as well as the wealth of experience which is ripe for tapping in our region.

The regional approach becomes ever more imperative given the growing trend for one phenomenon to affect two or more of our countries almost simultaneously. It will also help wean us from dependence on the wider donor community particularly since, no matter how severe our disasters may be, a more appalling tragedy elsewhere in the world can always be counted upon to eclipse our misery and divert aid, as seen recently with the earthquake in South Asia.

Luis Carpio is the Director of Natural Disasters and Transport and acting Political Advisor to the Secretary General of the Association of Caribbean States. The views expressed are not necessarily the official views of the ACS. Feedback can be sent to: mail@acs-aec.org