The University of the West Indies and the United Nations Development Programme have signed a joint proposal for the establishment of a Centre for Disaster Risk Reduction at the UWI. The joint proposal was signed by Professor E. Nigel Harris Vice Chancellor of the UWI and Juan Carlos Espinola, Resident Representative of UNDP on Tuesday, June 27 in the Council Room, UWI, Mona.
The Centre will be an Institutional Focal Point for harnessing the expertise of the University to develop and implement training, research, advisory and outreach services. Its essential goal will be to reduce vulnerability of the Caribbean islands to natural hazards. It will be the point of intersection between governments, community and the University to embark on a programme that will build capacity, new knowledge and policy advice with respect to disaster risk reduction.
The Centre will comprise a Director and small support staff that will coordinate an interdisciplinary teaching and research programme, as well as enhance outreach to the community. This programme will be constructed by a Committee of technical experts drawn from UWI, other Tertiary Institutions, CDERA and other relevant organizations in the region. The Centre will be overseen by a Board comprising representatives of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA), and other regional stakeholders.
The specific objectives of the Centre are to provide:- A mechanism for coordinating and focusing the University’s attempts to moblize resources in support of disaster risk reduction; An integrated and coordinated academic programme in Disaster Risk Reduction for the region; A facility to meet the training and certification needs of professionals working in the area of Disaster Risk Reduction; Advisory and consultancy services and policy guidance to regional governments and institutions and A facility for marketing and mobilizing the University’s skills in Disaster Risk Reduction within and beyond the region.
It is envisioned that the Centre for Disaster Risk Reduction will be part of a larger Institute for Sustainable Development that will also contain the University’s Foresighting Unit, a Hospitality and Sustainable Tourism Unit, and other units to build capacity and conduct research in areas relevant to sustainable development.
Other collaborators of the Centre will be the Seismic Research Unit (St Augustine), the Unit for Disaster Studies (Mona), the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute for Social and Economic Studies (SALISES), the Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication (CARIMAC) and the Caribbean Climate Change Centre (in Belize).