The Association of Caribbean States (ACS) held the Second Meeting of the Special Group on Natural Disasters on October 30th and 31st 1997, in Panama City, Panama, with the aim of elaborating a regional cooperation mechanism for the prevention and mitigation of natural disasters, in accordance with the mandate received during the Ist Intersessional Meeting held in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago in July 1997.
During this meeting Dr. Roberto Velasquez, Director General of the Panamanian National Civil Protection was elected as Chairman, Dr. Barbara Carby, Director General of the Office of Disaster Preparedness of Jamaica as Vice-President and Mr. Luis Enrique Gutierrez from the National Disaster Prevention Centre of Mexico (CENAPRED) as Rapporteur. Twelve (12) Member and Associate Member States, three (3) observer countries and six (6) international and academic institutions, attended the meeting.
During the course of the meeting, presentations were made by the representatives of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the Coordination Centre for the Prevention of Natural Disasters in Central America (CEPREDENAC) and by Dr. Myron Chin from the University of the West Indies (UWI) as Special Advisor to the ACS Secretariat. The information presented served as a base for the formulation by the ACS Special Group, of the regional cooperation mechanism mentioned above.
The following priority areas were identified:
1. Advocacy at Policy Level
2. Expertise (Scientific and Technical Research)
3. Prevention and Mitigation
4. Preparedness, Response and Warning
5. Information/Training
After the presentations, the proposal made by the regional institutions as well as the document elaborated by Dr. Myron Chin were put forward for discussion, and it was recommended that a working group charged with drafting the final document containing the regional mechanism proposal, be formed. This group worked during the afternoon of the first day, finishing the drafting of the document for its subsequent approval during the plenary on Friday, October 31st 1997.
The session beginning on Friday October 31st opened with presentations by Dr. Helena Molin Valdes, Regional Representative of the IDNDR and Mr. Jean Marc Mompelat of the French Delegation, followed by the report by Mr. Jeremy Collymore of CDERA on the current situation in Montserrat and by Mr. Luis Gutierrez on the impact of hurricane Pauline on the Pacific Coast of Mexico.
The meeting concluded with the approval of the final document, which will be submitted for the consideration of the Ministerial Council by the Special Committee on the Protection and Conservation of the Environment and Caribbean Sea.
In order to strengthen inter-regional cooperation, the possible coordination of activities with those already developed by the recently formed Ibero-American Association of Governmental Organisations for Defense and Civil Protection will be taken into consideration, among other aspects.
Attached as appendices are the agenda of the meeting, the list of participants and the report of the Secretary General.
In conclusion, the delegation from the Dominican Republic offered to be the host of the next meeting of the Group, which will take place during the second term of 1998.