On Thursday April 5th, 2018, an inception meeting between Saint Lucia and Cuba was convened in the Dominican Republic to discuss possible themes for south-south cooperation related to Multi-hazard Early Warning Systems between the two States. The inception meeting was arranged to fulfil an action related to expert intervention by Cuba to provide a solution package to address gaps identified in the Early Warning System of Saint Lucia under the Project entitled ‘Strengthening Integrated Early Warning Systems for More Effective Disaster Risk Reduction in the Caribbean Through Knowledge and Tool Transfer’ funded by the funded through the DIPECHO Action Plan for the Carib bean (2017) by the General Directorate of Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid of the European Union (ECHO).
The Cuban partners in attendance at the meeting were Ms. Elsa Fonseca Arcalla, Coordinator for Hazard Vulnerability and Disaster Risk and Mr. Don Examides di Barreiro Manes, Head of the Compatibility Section of Disaster Risk Reduction of the Cuban National Civil Defense.
The major outcome of the meeting was a commitment from Cuba to discuss the concept with the broader technical team in Cuba and to revert to Saint Lucia on a suggested approach for cooperation on the risk and vulnerability assessment methodology that is currently in use in Cuba. Cooperation can include adaptation of the tool for Saint Lucia, training on how to apply the tool and piloting of the tool at the community level. This solution package was in direct response to an expressed gap in the early warning system in Saint Lucia by the Director of the National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO), Mrs. Velda Octave-Joseph.