Guyana President Dr. Irfaan Ali to deliver keynote address at CDEMA flagship conference tackling disaster financing, critical infrastructure, and cross-border emergency response
GEORGETOWN, GUYANA, November 05, 2026 — As Caribbean nations navigate unprecedented climate volatility and compounding economic shocks, heads of government, disaster risk authorities, and international development partners will convene in Georgetown, Guyana, for the 14th Caribbean Conference on Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM 14) from 7 to 12 December 2026 at the Pegasus Suites & Corporate Centre.
The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) convenes the Caribbean Conference biennially, partnering this year with the Government of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, through the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), to host CDM 14. Over 500 delegates, including ministerial delegations across CDEMA’s 20 Participating States and more than 100 subject-matter experts, will assemble under the theme: “CDM Road to Resilience: Checkpoint 2026: Resilient Sectors, Sustainable Communities, Safer States.”
His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, will deliver the opening keynote address. His address will outline high-level strategies to align rapid national economic expansion with climate-proofing critical infrastructure, securing coastal and inland riverine communities, and establishing collective regional financing mechanisms.
Hosting the conference marks a strategic milestone for Guyana. Situated along the low-lying northeastern Atlantic coast of South America, the nation serves as a focal point for modern adaptation challenges: balancing historic capital investments and energy security with aggressive flood-control engineering, mangrove restoration, and the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030.
His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana commented “If we are to withstand the escalating challenges of the future, there must be an unbreakable connection between investments, investors, and governments. We can no longer approach development through a traditional lens; we must scale up our thinking, scale up our infrastructure, and scale up our regional commitment. When we conceptualize any project today, we must fundamentally be building for resilience. Hosting CDM 14 in Guyana marks a critical checkpoint for the Caribbean to align regional policy, mobilize dynamic capital, and ensure we are building resilient sectors, sustainable communities, and safer states.”
The five-day agenda addresses persistent implementation bottlenecks across Caribbean disaster management: loss-and-damage financing access, early-warning network modernization, multi-hazard supply chain logistics, and community-led adaptation.
Executive Director of CDEMA, Elizabeth Riley, stated: “Every disaster exacts a profound toll on our people, economies and development, placing further pressure on already constrained national resources. Resilience is therefore an economic, social and environmental imperative, rooted in our collective responsibility to protect lives, livelihoods and communities. CDM 14 gathers policymakers, financiers, and frontline responders to move from dialogue to result delivery. It provides an opportunity to translate commitments into measurable action, mobilize sustainable investment and scale proven regional solutions.”
Featured Summit Highlights:
• Caribbean Resilience Innovation Challenge (CRIC 2026): Supported by the European Union, the competition concludes on 11 December with seven finalists pitching scalable technology and field-tested solutions for multi-hazard monitoring and community disaster management.
• Regional Youth Forum: Convening emerging leaders from all 20 CDEMA Participating States alongside Guyanese youth delegates to integrate youth-led data collection and local action plans into regional frameworks.
• Resilience Village & High-Level Exposition: A practical showcase of early-warning technologies, spatial data mapping, drone-assisted damage assessments, and emergency logistics solutions.
CDM 14 is supported by the Government of Guyana and the Civil Defence Force, European Union the World Food Programme (WFP), Caribbean Development Bank, Sasakawa Peace Foundation, UN Office for Disaster for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), UNICEF, World Bank and other private sector partners.
Accredited media access, program updates, and remote briefing schedules are accessible at www.cdmconference.com
Media enquiries:
Keith Goddard, Communications and Public Relations Specialist
Email: keith.goddard@cdema.org
Tel: +1 246 266 1976
Simone Walker, Communications Consultant
Email: simonekwalker@gmail.com
Tel: +1 876 822 1698
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