National Recovery Framework and Update of the National Disaster Management Plan to include Gender Responsive Recovery The Department of Economic Development and Youth Economy will be hosting a National Validation Forum on the 4th June 2024 for the development of a National Recovery Framework for Saint Lucia and to update the National Emergency Management Plan; to include a specific chapter on Disaster Recovery. The ultimate objective of the scheduled Forum is to provide an opportunity to receive further comments and feedback to facilitate the finalization of this Policy Document for formal adoption in a bid to improve Saint Lucia’s resilience and responsiveness to natural and other hazards.
The exercise will consist of a full-day program supported by the team from NEMO Saint Lucia, UNDP Barbados, CDEMA and importantly close to 60 participants representing key economic, social, environmental and infrastructural sectors along with civil society groups. This initiative forms part of the work programme of the Enabling Gender Responsive, Recovery, Climate and Environment in the Caribbean (EnGenDER) Project; executed by UNDP through CDEMA and funded by the Government of Canada and UKAID.
The keynote speaker at the Opening Ceremony for the event is Honorable Shawn Edwards, Minister for Education, Sustainable Development Innovation, Science, Technology and Vocational Training. Honorable Edwards is also the current Chairman of the Caribbean Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA).
Under the Disaster Management Act No. 30 of 2006, the regulatory framework for disaster management is given effect through the National Emergency Management Plan 2010, which was last updated in 2015. Hence, from March 5 – 8, 2024 and again from March 21 – 25, 2024, the Government of Saint Lucia facilitated and concluded a Fact-Finding Mission geared towards efforts in disaster response and recovery and to also mainstream gender responsiveness at its policy level, specifically efforts to strengthen Saint Lucia’s recovery capacity to reduce impacts and foster resilient recovery through the adaptation and adoption of the 2021 CDEMA Model National Recovery Framework (MNRF).
This event is timely as it comes on the heels of the SIDS-4 Conference held in Antigua and Barbuda where issues of climate change and building resilience were discussed and in light of the NOAA’s (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) projected above normal Atlantic hurricane season.
In this regard, the Department of Economic Development and Youth Economy requests media coverage on Tuesday June 4, 2024, in the Conference Room of the Finance Administrative Center (FAC), 5th Floor, Pointe Seraphine, Castries from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm. Thank you for your usual cooperation.