Disaster management practitioners and experts from across the region and beyond will meet in Barbados from December 8 - 12 for the 3rd Caribbean Conference on Comprehensive Disaster Management being organized by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA) in association with its partners.

The Conference is the annual disaster management forum for dialogue and reflection on the progress being made to advance Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) in the Caribbean. It is also the regional event for discussing the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) global platform as it relates to the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015 on disaster risk reduction.

This year, under the theme CDM – A Catalyst for Change, the Conference will highlight the changing face of disaster risk management. Sessions will focus on mainstreaming disaster risk management efforts into key sectors such as agriculture, finance and education. Other areas to be addressed will include pandemic threats, planning for earthquakes and tsunamis, climate change and climate variability, humanitarian reform in response operations and emergency management of vulnerable groups, such as children, the elderly and differently abled.

In keeping with the concept and emerging practice of Comprehensive Disaster Management the Conference programme is structured to attract participation of all sectors and levels of society. The Professional Development Sessions, in Business Continuity Planning, Gender and Disaster Management, and the Caribbean Disaster Risk Insurance Facility are designed specifically for the benefit of persons who are actively involved or have a keen interest in these areas. The exhibition, cultural evening and film festival are open to schools and the general public and will showcase good practices, tools and products on a wide range of disciplines and fields that impact on disaster risk management.

CDERA has received the support of development partners, regional institutions and the public and private sectors in the planning and staging of the Conference. Major contributors include: Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF), European Union (EU), United Nations Development Fund (UNDP), United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), United States Agency for International Development/Office For Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA), United States of America Southern Command (US/SOUTHCOM).