Guyana to host Caribbean disaster management conference in December.

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – More than 500 delegates, including government officials, disaster management experts and international development partners, are expected in Guyana in December for the 14th Caribbean Conference on Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM 14).

The conference, organized by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) in partnership with the Guyana government through the Civil Defense Commission (CDC), will be held from December 7 to 12 at the Pegasus Suites and Corporate Center in Georgetown.

The event will bring together representatives from CDEMA’s 20 Participating States and more than 100 subject-matter experts under the theme, “CDM Road to Resilience: Checkpoint 2026: Resilient Sectors, Sustainable Communities, Safer States”.

President Irfaan Ali will deliver the opening keynote address, focusing on aligning economic growth with climate-resilient infrastructure, protecting coastal and riverine communities, and strengthening regional financing mechanisms.

Ali said the conference would allow Caribbean countries to strengthen regional cooperation and ensure new development projects incorporate resilience measures.

“If we are to withstand the escalating challenges of the future, there must be an unbreakable connection between investments, investors, and governments,” he said.

“We can no longer approach development through a traditional lens; we must scale up our thinking, scale up our infrastructure, and scale up our regional commitment. When we conceptualize any project today, we must fundamentally be building for resilience.”

Ali said hosting the conference marked an important opportunity for the region to align policies, attract investment and build safer communities.

The conference agenda will address challenges in disaster management, including access to loss-and-damage financing, modernizing early-warning systems, strengthening supply-chain logistics and supporting community-led adaptation.

CDEMA Executive Director Elizabeth Riley said disasters are placing increasing pressure on national resources and threatening development across the region.

“Every disaster exacts a profound toll on our people, economies and development, placing further pressure on already constrained national resources,” she said.

“Resilience is therefore an economic, social and environmental imperative, rooted in our collective responsibility to protect lives, livelihoods and communities.”

Riley said CDM 14 would bring together policymakers, financiers and frontline responders to turn commitments into measurable action, attract sustainable investment and expand proven regional solutions.

Planned activities include the Caribbean Resilience Innovation Challenge 2026, supported by the European Union. Seven finalists will present technology and other solutions for multi-hazard monitoring and community disaster management on December 11.

A Regional Youth Forum will also bring together young leaders from CDEMA’s 20 Participating States and Guyanese youth delegates to explore ways of incorporating youth-led data collection and local action plans into regional disaster management strategies.

The conference will also feature a Resilience Village and exposition showcasing early-warning technologies, spatial data mapping, drone-assisted damage assessments, and emergency logistics solutions.

Guyana’s hosting of the conference comes as the country faces the challenge of balancing rapid economic expansion with protecting its low-lying coastal and riverine communities. Its adaptation efforts include flood-control infrastructure, mangrove restoration, and the Low Carbon Development Strategy 2030.