BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC—The Barbados-based Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency’s Coordinating Unit (CDEMA CU) says its Targeted Support to the CDEMA Project (TSCP) is being extended by a year.
The project is being implemented with financial support from Global Affairs Canada and has been granted a one-year, no-cost extension until December 31 this year.
The TSCP began in March 2019 with eight million Canadian dollars (One CAD = 0.74 cents) in funding from the Canadian government.
The project’s primary goal is to improve Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) in the Caribbean region, with a focus on vulnerable populations, particularly women and girls.
It also supports the CDEMA system and its participating states in several ways, including the CDEMA CU programming and supporting community recovery for the most vulnerable through the Caribbean Early Recovery Fund (CERF).
CDEMA said that the CERF has been crucial in funding projects to support recovery after impact in Belize, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St.Lucia, and Antigua and Barbuda.
CDEMA deputy executive director, Lt. Col. Kester Craig, thanked Global Affairs Canada for its continued commitment and support.
“The Targeted Support to CDEMA Project has been instrumental in executing CDEMA’s mandate by strengthening the Regional Response Mechanism and CDEMA’s internal capacity in human resources and digital transformation efforts. Through the challenges, great strides have been made, and we will continue with the welcomed project extension,” Lt. Col Craig explained.
CDEMA noted throughout the project that the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2021 explosive eruption of the La Soufriere volcano in St. Vincent and the Grenadines were among the challenges to project delivery. This, conversely, showed the need to support remote work and recovery efforts of local projects after impact.
Head of Cooperation at Global Affairs Canada, Abebech Assefa, acknowledged these challenges in granting the extension, saying Canada recognizes the unprecedented level of impact that the region has been experiencing, especially in 2020 and 2021.
“CDEMA has been called into action for more frequent and longer periods. Canada is happy to approve this extension to complete the important initiatives under the TSCP.”
CDEMA said that the CU has accelerated implementation to realize project results, including recruiting and staffing nine technical positions, which have enhanced the CU’s capacity, hosting two important regional search and rescue training.
In addition, the project supported the establishment of a temporary Integrated Regional Logistics Hub in 2020 for the COVID-19 response, implemented and established an e-learning platform, and supported the buildout of the CDEMA’s Records and Information Management System.
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