The Government of Antigua and Barbuda today hosted the 7th Programme Steering Committee meeting of the Building Resilience of the CARIFORUM States to Disaster Risks and Climate Change Impacts (BRICS) Programme, under the 11th European Development Fund Caribbean Regional Indicative Programme.

The meeting, held at the Trade Winds Hotel, brought together regional and international stakeholders including the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), the Caribbean Forum of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (CARIFORUM), and the European Union (EU) to review progress and chart next steps for disaster resilience initiatives across the Caribbean.

Minister of State in the Ministry of Social and Urban Transformation, the Honourable Kiz Johnson, delivered remarks on behalf of the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, welcoming delegates and highlighting the country’s continued benefits from the BRICS Programme.

These include EU-funded infrastructure improvements following significant flooding in 2020 that affected 200 households in one community, the establishment of the first direct disaster command centre at the community level, and ongoing development of a multi-purpose shelter facility, sub-regional warehouse, and high-angle rescue tower training facility.

“Antigua and Barbuda is the focal point for the OECS sub-region, and we are advancing plans to become a regional hub for search and rescue training,” Minister Johnson said.

Also in attendance were CARIFORUM Director General Ms. Alexis Downes-Amsterdam, CDEMA Executive Director Ms. Elizabeth Riley, EU Representative Ms. Virginie André, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Social and Urban Transformation Ms. Sarah Stuart, and Principal Assistant Secretary Ms. Lottie Thompson.

The BRICS Programme, funded by the European Union, was launched in February 2019 and is designed to reduce the vulnerability of CARIFORUM states by strengthening institutional systems, empowering communities, and enhancing disaster coordination mechanisms.