Barbados Unveils Comprehensive Disaster Management Policy 2022 for Resilient Communities

The Department of Emergency Management (DEM) has developed a Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) Policy 2022 document.

The policy, which was approved by Cabinet, ensures that there is a strategic direction to keeping people safe and making communities more resilient to disaster and climate-related risks and impacts.

Lauding the Department for the initiative, Minister of Home Affairs and Information Wilfred Abrahams urged all shareholders, governmental and nongovernmental, to make full use of the “instructive policy document as we all endeavour to create a Barbados that is more resilient to disasters and climate-related risks”.

“A Barbados that is safe for all residents and all visitors to our shores. As a small island developing state, our fragile, open economy, and more importantly our people, remain susceptible to the vagaries of disasters, whether natural or man-made.

“Indeed, our constant exposure to certain risk factors and overexposure to others make it imperative that Barbados should develop and implement a comprehensive disaster management policy which envisions, among other medium and long-term goals, safer communities as well as a more resilient and sustainable economy,” Abrahams said.

The overarching aim of CDM is to reduce loss and damage and create more resilient and safer societies through the engagement of all people, sectors, and society.

The policy document therefore sets out Barbados’ solutions to addressing disaster and climate-related risks and aims to provide the strategic direction and supportive governance and accountability arrangements for a safer, more resilient, and sustainable Barbados through CDM.

The document will also guide the development and mainstreaming of CDM policies and programmes for a resilient Barbados society; ensure that Barbados meets its regional and international disaster management obligations and articulate the vision and goals for comprehensive disaster management for the Government of Barbados, in line with the objectives of the Emergency Management Act, Cap. 160A (2006).

The policy identifies seven priority areas for action, the application of the policy, the monitoring, evaluation and reporting and a policy review.

(BGIS)