Unfortunately, these phenomena and the lack of preparedness for them, translate into huge material, economic and regrettably human losses. The poor are always the most affected, and women and children in particular. The efforts undertaken in the development and utilisation of Early Warning Systems, with the aim of protecting, above all, the most vulnerable, are an initiative for the benefit of humanity.

Scientific and technological advances in recent years have allowed countries to prepare themselves to reduce the possible losses caused by natural disasters, whose impact on our developing countries is all the greater. Regrettably, our vulnerability is increased by our social, economic, political, environmental and institutional problems.

Our ideal objective would be, in our co-existence with Mother Nature and her onslaughts, to pay, with every passing day, a lower price in terms of destruction caused and lives lost. Having societies prepared for these phenomena is and will always be a mitigating factor in the above-mentioned scenario.

The forecasts for this disaster season are not at all encouraging and, to combat these onslaughts, it is evident that together, we can achieve greater strength. A success story was achieved in May, when early warning experts, public authorities, sub-regional, regional and international organisations, non-governmental organisations, community leaders and media representatives met in Antigua, Guatemala, at the Hemispheric Consultation on Early Warning, with the aim of discussing early warning systems for the multiple threats present in all the regions of the hemisphere. During the meeting strategic guidelines with respect to Early Warning Systems were drawn up. These guidelines will be presented to the 2nd World Conference on Early Warning, which will take place in Bonn, Germany. This was the first hemispheric event dedicated to the subject of integrating early warning systems into public policies.

This exercise in inter-agency coordination shows how, in the same way, there ought to be coordination in natural phenomenon preparedness or response.

If we have before us a hazy panorama, full of possibilities, the elements of unity and coordination are indispensable. These elements were very palpable during the Hemispheric Consultation, which was promoted and supported by the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction of the United Nations (UN-ISDR), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany through the German Technical Cooperation Agency (GTZ), and the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), with the additional, partial support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The consultation was planned by an organising committee comprising representatives of the ACS, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA), the Coordination Centre for the Prevention of Natural Disasters in Central America (CEPREDENAC), the National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction of Guatemala (CONRED), GTZ, UNDP and UN-ISDR.

The reality is that firm steps forward are being taken in this stage of preparedness against the onslaughts of Mother Nature and with this joint initiative, for the benefit of the most vulnerable, the truth of the old saying, “In Unity there is Strength”, can be demonstrated to the world.

Association of Caribbean States © 2007
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