Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, June 10 - In an effort to strengthen cooperation among disaster and emergency management agencies across the region, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Emergency Commission (CNE) of the Dominican Republic.
The MOU, which was signed on June 6th by Mr. Ronald Jackson, Executive Director of CDEMA and Major General Rafael E. Pichirilo of the CNE, aims to establish a general framework of cooperation and partnership between the institutions. The agreement covers areas of mutual interest and efforts to support the regional disaster resilience building agenda within the Caribbean and more particularly between CDEMA Participating States and the Dominican Republic.
In welcoming the prospects of the partnership with the CNE, Mr. Jackson said that it is a timely initiative especially given the heightened risks exposure to the region as a result of climate change. “As we seek to deliver on this regional risk management programme, it is essential that we make use of every opportunity to harmonize our efforts to ensure that the wider Caribbean Community including our partners in the Dominican Republic is able to maximize on the benefits to be derived from our shared experiences and expertise in dealing with the realities of climate change”.
“Language should not be a barrier to our partnership and efforts to identify common solutions to shared risk experiences”, he added.
The two institutions seek to complement efforts and create synergies in which each partner's advantages are enhanced, capitalizing on the experience and for the purpose of undertaking joint actions in areas of interest, including the design of strategies and actions aimed at capacity building within CDEMA Participating States and the Dominican Republic in relation to Comprehensive Disaster Management.
During his official visit to the Dominican Republic, Mr. Jackson also met with Ambassador Antonio Vargas Hernandez, the NAO of European Funds for Development and Director General of Multilateral Cooperation (DIGECOOM).
Ambassador Vargas Hernandez expressed his satisfaction with the signing of the MOU between the two Agencies and said that by order of the President Danilo Medina, the institution he leads has advocated and promoted closer cooperation with the Caribbean. He also highlighted the need for greater collaboration in integrating disaster risk management in academics, specifically in the curricula of schools and universities in the Dominican Republic.
Participating States: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Virgin Islands. Mr. Jackson also expressed his appreciation to the Ambassador and the CNE for the warm reception, while pledging his commitment to work closely with the country as it faces the common problems and challenges.
*************************
DISCLAIMER
This article was posted in its entirety as received by SKNVibes.com. This media house does not correct any spelling or grammatical error within press releases and commentaries. The views expressed therein are not necessarily those of SKNVibes.com, its sponsors or advertisers
Dominican Republic News