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Natural Disaster Risk Mitigation
On February 27th, 2006, the Government of Canada transferred CAD$2
million to the OAS to support sustainable development efforts in the
hemisphere. Of that total, approximately CAD$750,000 is directed
to the DSD
to support natural disaster risk reduction measures. Canadian
Ambassador Paul Durand noted that one of the priorities of the
Government of Canada and countries of the hemisphere – in particular
countries of the Caribbean and Central America – involves strengthening
natural disaster risk mitigation programs. “Over the last two years we
have had a series of natural disasters in the Caribbean and in Central
America” he said, underscoring the Organization’s commitment to these
programs. Durand emphasized that one of the specific priority areas
identified for implementation under this agreement is for strengthening
policies to support governments that must face the destruction caused by
natural disaster. In a related initiative, the Canadian International Development Agency held a meeting at the OAS Department for Sustainable Development on March 2nd, 2006, to discuss their recently-launched CIDA Commonwealth Caribbean Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Fund of CAD$7.5 million. The purpose of the meeting was to seek the input and advice of H.E. Gordon Shirley, Ambassador of Jamaica to the White House and to the OAS; as well as co-chair of the OAS Joint Consultative Body (JCB) on Natural Disasters, and H.E. Denis Antoine, Ambassador of Grenada to the White House and to the OAS, as well as chair of the OAS Working Group on Sustainable Development. Participants of the March 2nd consultation included the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Pan-American Health Organization and the DSD. Among the priorities addressed at that meeting included how to coordinate CIDA-related actions in natural disaster risk reduction activities with the initiative of the World Bank to launch a regional natural hazard regional insurance pool and other activities, and on-going work of the IDB in mainstreaming natural disasters in development and financial planning, institution building and other areas, the work of PAHO in disaster response and relief actions, with a particular emphasis on human health, and the focus of the DSD in governance-related issues. As a follow-up, the OAS/DSD will host an information meeting for the Caribbean missions to the OAS on new initiatives of the World Bank and others in early April, 2006. |
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