Assistance for Strengthening the Search and Rescue Capability of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency

March 5, 2003

On March 5 (Wed), the Government of Japan and the United Nations (UN) decided to extend the total of 3,039,669.05 - US dollar assistance through the Trust Fund for Human Security to the project "Strengthening the Search and Rescue Capability of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA)" to be implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The objective of this project is to strengthen the land-based search and rescue capability of CDERA to respond to natural disasters in sixteen countries and territories (Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Christopher and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands) in the Caribbean region where hurricane, flood, earthquake and volcano eruption cause serious hazard. Activities include creating the infrastructure for Search and Rescue through training of rescue teams, enhancing warehousing capacity in response to natural disaster, and strengthening CDERA to effectively lead and coordinate Search and Rescue operation.
The ongoing technical assistance provided by the Government of Japan through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to CDERA and this project are expected to collaterally contribute to enhancing the capacity of CDERA to respond effectively to disaster emergency.

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