In accordance with the mandate of the Declaration of Santo Domingo and the Plan of Action (Article 8), and based on the Agreement existing among the Member and Associate Member States of the Association of Caribbean States for Regional Cooperation in the area of Natural Disasters, the Special Group on Natural Disasters, comprising representatives of Member countries, Associate Members and specialized organizations met in Gosier, Guadeloupe on November 4-5, 1999, at its fourth meeting. At this meeting, there was a plenary session and a working group dedicated to determining the elements necessary to implement the Agreement existing among the Member Countries and Associate Members of the Association of Caribbean States for Regional Cooperation in the area of Natural Disasters. Attending the meeting were delegations from Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and France. Also present was a delegate from the Kingdom of Morocco in its capacity as an Observer Country.

Director Mario Estrada welcomed the participants, and on behalf of the Secretariat, conveyed his sincere thanks to the national and regional French authorities for their excellent organization of the Fourth Meeting, and also for the support given to the Association on matters related to Natural Disasters. He reported on the status of membership in the ACS and reminded those present that in light of the region’s current situation concerning vulnerability with respect to disasters, the Heads of State and/or Government, in addition to the Ministerial Council, have all expressed their political will to grant their full support to the national, regional and sub-regional Offices responsible for the prevention and mitigation of natural disasters. In accordance with the recommendation put forward by the Heads of State and/or Government, it is hoped that during the next Ministerial Meeting in Panama, the Special Group will be promoted to the category of Special Committee.

Similarly, he thanked the representatives of the following organizations for their presence: Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA); Office of the European Community for Humanitarian Aid (ECHO); Pan American Health Organization/World Head Organization (PAHO/WHO); UATI/UNESCO; and the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB).

Finally, he informed those present that Jamaica, Nicaragua and Panama, in addition to the Regional Office of Latin America for the International Decade for the Reduction of Disasters (IDNR), sent written apologies for not being able to attend.

Mr. Pierre Lieutaud, Sub-Prefect, Director of the Cabinet of the Prefect of the Region, Guadeloupe, extended a warm welcome to the participants on behalf of the authorities of the French Government, and expressed his delight in the fact that this meeting on one of the most significant issues for the ACS is taking place in his Region, and opened the Fourth Meeting of the Special Group on Disasters.

The Secretariat Representative explained that in view of the non-attendance of the Chairman, Vice Chairman and Rapporteur of the Special Group on Natural Disasters, the following persons were elected to the Executive Board of the Fourth Meeting of the Special Group: Chairman: Pierre Lieutaud - France; Vice Chairman: Brigadier General José Antonio de los Santos Sánchez - Dominican Republic; Rapporteur - Lt. Angel Rangel Sánchez – Venezuela.

The Chairman, Mr. Lieutaud, presented the proposed Agenda for consideration and it was subsequently approved by consensus.

REPORT BY THE SECRETARIAT

The Secretariat Representative explained what was agreed upon by the Heads of State and/or Government in the Declaration of Santo Domingo, and in its Plan of Action adopted at the Second Summit in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic in April of this year. Following this, Dr. Myron Chin, on behalf of the Secretariat, presented a report on the status of the list of Regional Experts in the area of Natural Disasters, as well as the List of Scientific and Research Organizations and Institutions working in this field. It was explained that since July 1998, a questionnaire was distributed among countries and placed at their disposal on the ACS Web Site, which would allow the said list to be drawn up in such a manner that it may be updated by the Secretariat. Regrettably, only three countries responded, and as a result, participants suggested that the questionnaire be once again distributed, urging Members and Associate Members to return it to the Secretariat as soon as possible.

In their comments on the Secretariat’s report, participants recommended that in addition to circulating the questionnaire once more, necessary precautions should be taken to ensure that it is not limited to natural disasters, but would cover any type of Disasters, including technological, chemical, etc. In this respect, the Ministerial Council will be asked to raise the category of the Group, and convert it to the ACS Special Committee on Disasters.

Regarding the analysis of measures necessary to increase cooperation and coordination between sub-regional mechanisms (CEPREDENAC and CEDERA) and Member countries not belonging to any of these organizations, the delegate from the Dominican Republic indicated the advantage of inviting the director and associate Members of the Latin American Association of Governmental Organizations for Defense and Civil Protection to take part in the deliberations of the ACS Special Committee on Disasters, a recommendation that was accepted by those present.

WORKING GROUP TO IMPLEMENT THE COOPERATION AGREEMENT IN THE AREA OF NATURAL DISASTERS:

On the recommendation of the Chairman, the Working Group was created to determine the elements necessary to implement the Agreement existing among the Member Countries and Associate Members of the Association of Caribbean States for Regional Cooperation in the area of Natural Disasters, through the participation of a representative from each attending country.

As a result of its discussions, this Group decided to submit the following recommendations for the consideration of the Members of the Special Committee on Disasters, to be established by the Fifth Ordinary Meeting of the Ministerial Council:

1. Encourage the ratification of the Agreement by its signatory countries.

2. Member Countries should immediately appoint national authorities for Disaster preparation, prevention and mitigation, as the focal point for the implementation of the Agreement, with decision making and execution capabilities.

3. The Special Committee on Disasters to be established by the Fifth Ordinary Meeting of the Ministerial Council, should give priority to the creation of a Database and to coordination mechanisms, based on the provisions of Article 9 subparagraphs 1 and 4 of the Agreement existing among Member States and Associate Members of the Association of Caribbean States for Regional Cooperation in the area of Natural Disasters.

4. Top priority should be given to conducting studies on the risks faced by each Member Country, and appoint the Especially Vulnerable Areas mentioned in Article 3 of the Agreement in the area of Natural Disasters.

From the discussions taking place during the plenary session it was agreed to present the following for consideration:

1. The Special Group on Disasters fully welcomes the provisions of the San José Agreement of May 1999, related to the Decade for the Reduction of Natural Disasters.

2. To reconsider and prepare new guidelines related to the criteria for selecting regional experts, in addition to which the final questionnaire should be circulated to each Member State for their subsequent approval and nomination of experts.

3. To issue a resolution to be presented to the Ministerial Council via the Secretariat, in which concern is expressed for the lack of attendance on the part of many representatives of Member Countries and Associate Members at the Meetings of the Special Group on Disasters.

4. It is agreed to recognize as special guests at the meetings of the Special Committee on Disasters, the director and associate Members of the Latin American Association of Governmental Organizations for Defense and Civil Protection.

5. The prioritization and presentation of projects in the area of Disasters that are presented to the Special Fund of the Association of Caribbean States, for financing, must be approved by the Special Committee on Disasters of the Association.

NOMINATION OF THE NEXT BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE FOR THEIR ELECTION BY THE MINISTERIAL COUNCIL

The Chairman proposed that in view of the small representation by countries at this meeting, the Secretariat will issue a circular in which the said nominations would be made, in order to be sent to the Chair of the Ministerial Council, so that a consensus list may be submitted to the Fifth Meeting in Panama. This proposal was seconded by the delegations from Cuba and Haiti, while the Venezuelan delegate objected to the said procedure, arguing that it was a point on the agenda and should be addressed at the very same meeting.

In seeking to arrive at a consensus, the Cuban delegate suggested that one of the posts be nominated by one of the countries present, while the others be nominated using the procedure proposed by the Chairman. At the same time, he nominated the Dominican Republic to serve as the Chair of the Special Committee on Disasters. Venezuela indicated that it accepted the proposal and that in this respect, other proposals will be put forward in addition to that mentioned by the Cuban delegation, such as that of Haiti, Venezuela and France, so that during its Fifth Meeting in Panama, the Ministerial Council would make a decision regarding the election of the first Board of Directors of the Special Committee on Disasters.

During the plenary sessions there were presentations by representatives from PAHO, ECHO and the French delegation. Dr. Dana Vanalphen of PAHO reported on the lessons learnt from Hurricanes Georges, Mitch and Floyd in the area of health. Mr. Marcel Clodión updated the participants on the objectives of the regional projects of the Office of the European Community for Humanitarian Aid. Mr. Denis Mauvais made an up-to-date presentation on an example of the cooperation that should exist among neighbouring countries in the area of cooperation in facing disasters. All presentations deserved the recognition and comments from those present.

Following the plenary sessions, the Rapporteur presented his oral report on what was decided as well as what was done by the Special Group during its Fourth Meeting.

The Chairman closed the meeting by once again thanking those present for the work done toward achieving the conclusions, and expressed his desire for better attendance at the First Meeting of the Special Committee.

Given that no offer has been received to host the First Meeting of the Special Committee, the date and venue will be decided following consultations with countries through the Secretariat.

ANNEXES: List of Participants

Agenda

Declaration of the Hemispheric Forum on the International Decade

for the Reduction of Disasters