The Americas and Caribbean meeting on DRR closed with a high-level ministerial segment

By Richard Waddington

CARTAGENA, 25 June 2018 – An Americas and Caribbean conference on disaster risk reduction closed with ministers reiterating support for a regional plan to accelerate action against natural and man-made hazards that take a heavy toll each year.

The Vl Regional Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas – now officially Americas and the Caribbean – was held June 20-22. It focused on what is needed to meet targets for reducing disaster losses laid out in the global plan, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030.

“In an immense and productive work session, we renewed our commitment for the voluntary implementation of the Sendai Framework,” Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos said in remarks read in his name at the closing session.

Ministers also agreed that Jamaica will host the next regional platform in 2020 which is also the deadline for a substantial increase in the number of countries with national and local strategies for disaster risk reduction in line with target (e) of the Sendai Framework.

It will be the first time that the forum is held in the Caribbean. From now on the region – formerly the Americas – will be known as the Americas and the Caribbean.

“Jamaica deems it an honour and by extension the people of the Caribbean deem it an honour,” Desmond McKenzie, Minister of Local Government and Community Development, told the closing ceremony.

“We stand ready to facilitate this next stage in the sustainable development agenda through disaster risk and climate change reduction,” the minister added.