Port of Spain (September 27th, 2013) –   The XXI Meeting of the Special Committee on Disaster Risk Reduction of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) will take place on Thursday 2nd October, 2013.

The meeting which will be held at the Capital Plaza Hotel, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, follows on from the mandate issued to ACS Directorate of Disaster Risk Reduction at this year’s Summit of Heads of State and/or Government hosted in Pétion-Ville, Republic of Haiti.

Mr. Carlos Castillo, Director of International Relations, Permanent Contingency Commission (COPECO), representing Honduras in its capacity as Chair of the ACS Special Committee for Disaster Risk Reduction, will serve as Chair to next week’s meeting.

Representatives from Coordination Centre for the Prevention of Natural Disasters in Central America (CEPREDENAC), Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (OCHA), European Commission's Humanitarian Aid (ECHO), "Disaster Preparedness European Commission's Humanitarian Aid (DIPECHO), are also expected to be in attendance to address the gathering of Member and Associate Member States.

Among those expected to attend are Mr. Ricardo Mena, Head of the Americas, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR). Mr. Mena will present on the post-2015 Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction (HFA2) which will then be taken into account during the drafting of the ACS Work Programme 2014-2015.

Projects such as Strengthening Hydrometeorological Operations and Services in the Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SHOCS II); Green Response Programme; International (Virtual) Diploma in Risk Management and Disaster Reduction and HOPEFOR Initiative, among others, have been highlighted as key areas for discussion on next week’s meeting agenda. The meeting will also incorporate some of the outcomes from the DIPECHO planning workshop which will be held on September 30th and October 1st.

According to the Director of Disaster Risk and Reduction of the ACS, Mr. George Nicholson, the primary objective of the meeting is provide an update on current progress as it relates to the mandate put forward at the V Summit of the ACS and additionally, propose and examine improved measures and developmental strategies for regional Disaster Risk Reduction implementation.

It is expected that the XXI Meeting of the Special Committee of Disaster Risk Reduction of the Association of Caribbean States will prove to be both a fruitful and productive engagement, in realizing its objectives – as the Association seeks to take another progressive step towards the development of the Greater Caribbean region.