Belize City, Wednesday,
31 July 2019 (CRFM)—The Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism
(CRFM) recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the
Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) to enhance
comprehensive disaster management and climate change resilience in
the fisheries and aquaculture sector within the Caribbean Community
(CARICOM).

CRFM Executive Director,
Milton Haughton, signed the MOU for CRFM while the Executive Director
of CDEMA, Ronald Jackson, signed on behalf of CDEMA. The signing
took place during the Tenth General Meeting of the Caribbean
Community (CARICOM) and the United Nations (UN) System, on Wednesday,
24 July 2019, in Georgetown, Guyana.

The CRFM Executive
Director said: “This MOU was prepared to facilitate enhanced
cooperation between the CRFM and CDEMA, recognizing the need for
effective and progressive responses to the urgent and growing threats
of climate change and associated hazards, as well as the
vulnerability of our fisherfolk and fishing communities which
constitute a very important part of our food production system.”

Immediate attention will
be given to cooperation for sustained support for the Fisheries Early
Warning and Emergency Response (FEWER) ICT Solution that had been
spearheaded by the CRFM during 2017-18 in the course of the Regional
Track of the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience (PPCR), supported
by the Inter-American Development Bank and The Mona Office
of Research and Innovation (MORI) at the University of the West
Indies (UWI), Jamaica.

Other areas of
cooperation include joint project initiatives, training, capacity
building and awareness activities, data and information collection
and dissemination, and a support mechanism to help CARICOM countries
and fishing communities prepare for and manage the threats and risks
arising from manmade and natural hazards, including storms and
hurricanes. The agreement also addresses post-disaster rehabilitation
and recovery support for the restoration of services, infrastructure
and livelihoods, as well as the restoration of the physical and
ecological integrity of the affected coastal ecosystems.

In
commenting on the signing, the Executive Director of CDEMA indicated
that, “This represents CDEMA’s commitment to partnerships with
other regional Institutions in an effort to advance resilience.” He
expressed enthusiasm that CDEMA would be able to support the hosting
infrastructure for the FEWER ICT Solution. Mr. Jackson furthermore
pointed out this was in keeping with CDEMA’s role in advancing a
comprehensive programme for Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems, as
well as serving as a regional hub for warning infrastructure.

FEWER reduces fishers’
vulnerability to the impacts of climate change but also allows them
to share local ecological knowledge to inform climate-smart fisheries
planning and management, decision-making, as well as risk management
in the fisheries sector. During 2017-18, the CRFM, IDB and UWI ICT
experts worked with government authorities and fishers in Dominica,
Grenada, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to pilot
the development of the FEWER. The CRFM-CDEMA partnership is an
essential step towards sustainably rolling out FEWER to other
countries.

The CRFM’s Ministerial
Council had signaled its support at its 13th Regular
Meeting held this June 2019 in Saint Kitts and Nevis, for the CRFM’s
partnership with CDEMA, which had been developing as both CARICOM
inter-governmental agencies mobilized to support to Member States in
the wake of Hurricanes Irma and Maria in September 2017.

In October 2018, the
Council approved a protocol on climate change and disaster risk
management under the Caribbean Community Common Fisheries Policy, for
which the CRFM has the implementation lead.

The CRFM has also been
working with the CCRIF and World Bank to introduce risk insurance to
protect the fisheries sector against disasters. The Caribbean Oceans
and Aquaculture Sustainability Facility (COAST) Parametric insurance
policy for the fisheries sector was launched at the beginning of July
2018. The policy was developed by CCRIF and the World Bank with
support from the Government of the USA.

The 17 Member States of
the CRFM are also members of CDEMA. They are Anguilla, Antigua and
Barbuda, Commonwealth of the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Commonwealth
of Dominica, Grenada, Republic of Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat,
St. Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines,
Suriname, Republic of Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos
Islands. The Virgin Islands is the only CDEMA member that is not a
member of the CRFM.

IMAGE

Photos: CRFM Executive Director, Milton Haughton (right), joins Ronald Jackson, CDEMA Executive Director, in inking a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen cooperation in disaster management and resilience.

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ABOUT THE
CRFM:

The
Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism
(CRFM) was officially inaugurated on 27 March 2003 in Belize City,
Belize, where it is headquartered, following the signing of the
“Agreement Establishing the CRFM” on February 4, 2002. It is an
inter-governmental organization whose mission is “to promote and
facilitate the responsible utilization of the region's fisheries and
other aquatic resources for the economic and social benefits of the
current and future population of the region.”