Montego Bay, Jamaica, December 8, 2010 (CDEMA & ODPEM) - The Prime Minister the Honourable Bruce Golding officially opened the 5th Annual Caribbean Disaster Management Conference at the Opening Ceremony held yesterday, Tuesday December 7, 2010 at the Rose Hall Resort and Spa in Montego Bay.
Prime Minister Golding who was also the Key Note Speaker at the event commended the conference organizers for the focus on climate change and its impact on disasters. He lamented that a global consensus for climate change was not arrived at in Copenhagen and underscored the need for rapid disbursement of funds earmarked for climate change adaptation and mitigation. He further commented on the need for the global community to consider debt forgiveness for the Caribbean to alleviate the burden of disaster recovery given their vulnerability to climate change.