Disaster Displacement a key aspect of CDEMA’s Biannual Regional Conference on Disaster Risk Management in the Caribbean

December 3, 2019
Events

Sint Maarten, 2-6 December 2019. The Caribbean, as one of the most vulnerable regions in the world to the impacts of disasters and the adverse effects of climate change, holds its 11^th Biannual Caribbean Conference on Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM). The conference featured for the first time a specific session on ‘Human Mobility in the Context of Disasters and Climate Change’, which sheds light on the relevance of this topic for the disaster risk reduction (DRR) community in the Caribbean region.

The session aimed to enhance the understanding of the impacts of disasters and the adverse effects of climate change on human mobility in the region, the multicausality of this phenomenon and how recent global and regional frameworks could help States and other stakeholders have a better and comprehensive approach to this issue. It was recognized that although disaster displacement is not part of any of the current disaster risk reduction policies, existing humanitarian, free-movement of people and DRR regional mechanisms could be leveraged to include the needs of migrants caught up in disaster situations as well as people displaced across borders in the context of sudden-onset disasters.

The Platform on Disaster Displacement (PDD) was represented by its regional advisor to the Caribbean. Other members of the panel included representatives from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Caribbean Disaster Management Agency (CDEMA) and the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. The session was moderated by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Regional Office.