Regional Platform For Disaster Risk Reduction Promises To Be Dynamic And Exciting

The upcoming seventh Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas and the Caribbean (RP21) promises to be dynamic and exciting, says Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, Marsha Henry-Martin.

“It promises to be… a knowledge-filled and exciting dialogue that will examine areas of social protection, building resilient economies and infrastructure, building back better, green economies and disaster modelling,” said Mrs. Henry-Martin, while addressing a JIS Think Tank on October 28.

The RP21 conference is being hosted by the Government of Jamaica through the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development from November 1 to 4 under the theme ‘Building Resilient Economies in the Americas and the Caribbean.

She said that the theme is timely, in light of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and the multi-hazards that are faced by the region ranging from hurricanes and volcanic eruptions to pandemics.

“The sessions are bringing experiences from across the Caribbean to include Haiti, Dominican Republic, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, where we have seen multiple sets of hazards. Sessions will also address vulnerable groups with the region, as we know those that are not as socially and economically resilient are usually the most highly impacted,” the Permanent Secretary told JIS News.

The outcomes of the conference are expected to measure how Jamaica and the region have been performing against the targets of the Sendai Framework, 2015-2030, and propose key disaster risk reduction strategies for the region ahead of the 2022 Global Platform.

“Jamaica being the first in the Caribbean to host such a prestigious conference, we are excited about it, and we just want to encourage all Jamaicans everywhere to just be present. Natural hazards will impact us, but it is how we respond that will result in how greatly it affects us. So, we invite you to tune in to the conference from our live steam on the Ministry’s website and the JIS’s website,” urged Mrs. Henry-Martin.

Select sessions over the four-day conference will also be streamed to the Ministry’s social media pages along with those of the JIS and Public Broadcasting Corporation of Jamaica (PBCJ).

Registration for RP21 can be done through the link https://rp-americas.undrr.org/registrationrp21. This will give participants access to sessions that are not live-streamed.