Riley urges rethink of regional disaster financing amid global uncertainty

Barbados and its Caribbean neighbours must urgently change the way they fund disaster response, as climate threats grow and traditional development support declines, the executive director of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), Elizabeth Riley, has warned.

Riley was delivering brief remarks at UN House during the signing ceremony for the CDEMA–World Food Programme Centre of Excellence, a multimillion-dollar regional facility funded by Japan and intended to serve as a permanent regional hub for disaster management training, knowledge sharing and capacity building.

Against the backdrop of mounting global economic tensions and uncertainty, Riley stressed the need for more sustainable and resilient financing frameworks across the Caribbean.

“At a time of geopolitical uncertainty and declining official development assistance, Japan’s continued commitment to Caribbean resilience is both notable as well as appreciated,” she said.

She noted that the recent activation of the regional logistics hub during Hurricane Melissa underscored the value of long-term regional investment.

“The activation of the regional logistics hub … demonstrated the value of sustained regional investment, enhancing coordination, reducing duplication, and improving the efficient use of limited resources.”

But global shifts in the last year have exposed weaknesses in traditional development financing models, particularly as climate change intensifies the scale and frequency of disasters, she cautioned.

“The geopolitical shifts of 2025 and 2026 have exposed vulnerabilities in traditional development financing models. In a climate change world, one forecast to bring more intense and more frequent Category 4 and 5 hurricanes and more complex multi-hazard interactions, we must be prepared for many more Melissas and 2021 Saint Vincent and the Grenadine multi-hazard scenarios.”

Riley argued that while the new Centre of Excellence represents a significant step forward, deeper structural changes are needed.

“The CDEMA–WFP Centre of Excellence continues to move us decisively in that direction by building additional capacity. Greater self-reliance, however, requires a pivot in our thinking,” she said, calling for a move away from short-term programming cycles “with support for which is increasingly uncertain” toward long-term strategic partnerships.

She outlined several priority shifts, including sustainable financing mechanisms such as a proposed CDEMA multi-source trust fund, greater use of technology, and stronger national systems.

“A pivot to sustainable financing… a pivot to greater leveraging of technology and finally, a pivot to investment in strong national systems, including through trained personnel, reliable data, clear procedures, and greater accountability in last-mile delivery as we deliver humanitarian action.”