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CDEMA kicks off Synergy Exercise focused on Strengthening Regional Coordination in Disaster Management

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#Bridgetown, July 13, 2019 – Barbados – The Regional Operational Preparedness and Response Exercise entitled SYNERGY, commenced yesterday hosted by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) in association with CARICOM and Global Affairs Canada. Participants from national, regional and international agencies came together for the simulation exercise designed to test the Regional Coordination Mechanism in response to emergency events that can impact CDEMA’s 18 Participating States.

Exercise SYNERGY, is the flagship regional exercise event facilitated by the CDEMA Coordinating Unit. Deputy Executive Director of CDEMA, Elizabeth Riley welcomed the participants’ active cooperation in the exercise, deemed timely as it falls ahead of the 2019 peak Hurricane Season.

Speaking at the Opening of the Exercise, Riley said, “We are here today because saving lives and delivering humanitarian assistance to impacted populations in CDEMA Participating States in an efficient and effective manner is not an option.  We know this because in the Caribbean we live with risks.”

“What is different about Synergy is that it is regionally owned and operated. As a region we therefore set the agenda and priorities and shape the results we want towards strengthened coordination”, said Riley.

Following the unprecedented hurricane events of 2017, a rapid review of the regional response found that there is room to improve and better coordinate the Regional Response Mechanism (RRM). The main objectives of Exercise SYNERGY are to test the coordination mechanism in its response to emergency events that impact the CDEMA Member Countries and to familiarize participants with the operations and protocols of the Mechanism and the Regional Coordination Plan (RCP).

Acting Deputy Director for Development at Global Affairs Canada, Jenna Hendrix-Miljours, said that Canada has worked with developing the RRM since Hurricane Ivan of 2004. In 2017, CAD$100 million was donated to finance reconstruction and climate resilience efforts in the Caribbean for 5 years. Hendrix-Miljours acknowledged that such a multi-island strike tested the region’s capacity to recover and therefore highlighted the importance of effective coordination and sustaining the regional mechanism.

On day one, participants engaged in the first pre-impact War Gaming session where they were given a scenario of a regional threat from a weather system. This fictitious weather system developed into a major category 5 hurricane prompting preparatory actions at the national, sub-regional and regional levels. Day two of the exercise tested the activation of the Regional Response Mechanism and joint coordination of assistance through this mechanism for the impacted CDEMA Participating State. The scenarios propelled discussions around synchronization of resources at national, regional and international levels.

The Exercise brought together representatives of the National Disaster Offices in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, St. Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, the Virgin Islands, and from regional and international agencies such as the Regional Security System (RSS), Network of Chambers of Commerce (CARICHAM), SOL Caribbean, Pan American Health Organization PAHO/WHO, United Nations Population Fund Caribbean (UNFPA), United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS Commission) and the Canadian High Commission.

The Regional Response Mechanism comprises of Participating States as well as national, regional and international stakeholders through which response and relief operations are coordinated through CDEMA’s Regional Coordination Center. Some key results of the Exercise were a draft guidance document on the roles and responsibilities of RRM partners as outlined in their Articles of Agreement and the identification of resources available to the RRM ahead of the peak hurricane season. The recommendations will also inform the update of the Regional Coordination Plan.

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CARPHA Progresses to Eligibility for the First Disbursement of Pandemic Funding

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Following a landmark Public Signing Ceremony for the Pandemic Fund (PF) Technical Cooperation Agreement (“Reducing the Public Health Impact of Pandemics in the Caribbean through Prevention, Preparedness, and Response” [RG-T4387] Project) on December 14, 2023, in Trinidad, the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) continues to progress towards the start of implementation.

 CARPHA fulfilled the IDB’s nine conditions prior to first disbursement, achieving full eligibility on March 15, 2024, and is now eligible for the first disbursement. This milestone achievement in just 3 months after the signing speaks to the commitment of both CARPHA, the Executing Agency, and IDB, the Implementing Entity, toward the regional PF project with the objective of supporting the reduction of the public health impact of pandemics in the Caribbean by building pandemic prevention, preparedness and response (PPR) surveillance & early-warning systems (EWS), laboratory systems and workforce capacity, regionally at CARPHA and in countries.

Since the signing of the Technical Cooperation Agreement and as part of the conditions prior to first disbursement, CARPHA has achieved the following key outputs (i) the development of the PF Project Operations Manual, Multi-annual Execution Plan, Procurement Plan, Financial Plan, Procedure for CARPHA’s Financial Reporting System; (ii) vacancy announcements for two tranches of consultants with the subsequent hiring of five (Technical Coordinator, Financial Specialist, Procurement Specialist, Operations Officer and Project Operations Coordinator) and (iii) the establishment of the Project Execution Unit (PEU) and Project Execution Steering Committee (PESC). The dedicated PEU will be responsible for execution according to its planned timelines, which will be led by the Dr. Lisa Indar, the Project Director (CARPHA’s Director of Surveillance, Disease Prevention and Control Division).

 CARPHA, as the lead regional public health agency and an expression of Caribbean Cooperation in Health is mandated by its Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) to support its 26 CARPHA Member States (CMS) in bolstering national systems and coordinating regional response to public health threats. The Agency works closely with regional and international agencies and uses regional mechanisms, surveillance systems, and networks for coordinating its public health response work.

In July 2023, the PF Governing Board announced that CARPHA’s regional entity proposal, entitled ‘Reducing the Public Health Impact of Pandemics in the Caribbean through Strengthened Integrated Early Warning Surveillance, Laboratory Systems and Workforce Development’ was successfully selected for the first round of financing. It was one of only 19 proposals selected from over 300 submissions and the only regional project. The three priority areas in the proposal are: (i) Comprehensive disease surveillance and EWS, (ii) Laboratory systems and (iii) Human resources and public health and community workforce capacity.

This project is expected to begin implementation in March 2024, starting off with a blended onboarding session. A Stakeholder Meeting with countries is tentatively planned for July 2024.

CARPHA remains dedicated to working together with the IDB, CARPHA Member States and the Pandemic Fund to successfully implement the regional proposal geared toward reducing the public health impact of pandemics in the Caribbean.

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Men who had Murdered Man, Marley Higgs’ cell phone face Court

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Wilkie Arthur

Freelance Court Correspondent

The prosecution intends to try two young North Caicos men, both age 21 for the offense of possession of property of a murdered man, property that was stolen and landed in their possession.

The phone belonged to Peureton ‘Marley’ Higgs, who is believed to have been an innocent gunned down at his apartment complex in the Glass Shack area in a spray of bullets on February 2 that killed another man and wounded two others, including a ten-year-old little girl.

The cell phone was described as white in colour, an iPhone, in a hard black case. 

On Monday, March 18th, JEFFVANO HANDFIELD of North Caicos pleaded not guilty to the offense, and the matter was adjourned to April 2024. He was granted bail in the matter.

A second North Caicos man was charged similarly.  

SARENO CAPELLAN aka, Kino Williams is the second individual brought before the court pertaining to the said cellphone. He appeared in court a week after JEFFVANO HANDFIELD, the date being Monday March 25th 2024.

The case for the Crown is that both men sometime in February of this year possessed the cellphone knowing or suspecting it to be stolen property.

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Supreme Court Closed for Easter

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NOTICE is hereby given that the Easter Recess shall commence on Friday 29th April, 2024 and end on Friday 5th April, 2024. During the Easter Recess Judge Selochan will be available to deal only with matters that are urgent or require prompt attention.

Court Business During the Easter Recess

A person who wishes to have a matter heard during the recess must file a certificate of urgency along with an affidavit, which must set out the reasons why the matter is urgent or requires prompt attention. The matter will not be listed during the recess unless the Judge deems it fit for urgent hearing.

Opening Hours During the Easter Holiday

The Supreme Court’s last sitting day for the first term is Thursday 28th March, 2024. The Court will officially resume sittings on Monday 8th April, 2024. The Supreme Court Offices in both Grand Turk and Providenciales will continue to operate while the Court is not sitting during the recess.

The Court Office will be closed on the following public holidays:

  • Friday 29th March, 2024 (Good Friday) CLOSED
  • Monday 1st April, 2024 (Easter Monday) CLOSED

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