CDEMA marks 35 years of service, resilience, partnership

The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) has marked 35 years of regional disaster coordination, with Executive Director Elizabeth Riley pledging that the organisation will continue strengthening Caribbean resilience amid increasingly complex, climate-related threats.

The anniversary church service at St George Parish Church on Sunday brought together CDEMA personnel, regional and international partners, government officials and other stakeholders who have contributed to the agency’s work over the past 35 years.

Riley said the organisation’s history is rooted in a commitment among Caribbean countries to support one another when disaster strikes.

“In 1991, the Caribbean community leaders made a bold decision. When disaster strikes, no CARICOM member state will stand alone,” she said.

That decision led to the creation of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA), CDEMA’s forerunner, which Riley described as “the first multi-country coordination mechanism for disaster management and humanitarian assistance in the world”.

Elizabeth Riley the Executive Director at CDEMA (Contributed)

In 2009, CDERA transitioned to CDEMA with a revised mandate, while maintaining what Riley described as the spirit of CARICOM, “that we are stronger together”.

The service, held under the theme “35 years of Service, Resilience, and Partnership: Honoring Our Journey,” provided an opportunity to recognise the people and organisations that have supported CDEMA since its establishment.

Riley said the agency’s progress was made possible through “careful planning, technical expertise, and hard work”, but also through “God’s grace, guidance, and sustaining hand”.

Among those recognised was late former Prime Minister Sir Lloyd Erskine Sandiford, who Riley credited with proposing the establishment of a regional disaster-response coordination mechanism.

She also highlighted CDERA’s and CDEMA’s first coordinator and executive director, Jeremy Collymore, who led the institution from its inception for 21 years.

Attention was also placed on the current CDEMA team, with Riley praising its members for their commitment to serving the region.

“Whether delivering training, executing exercises, or on deployment, the CDEMA team shows up every day in a very big way,” she said.

The executive director also extended appreciation to the families of CDEMA employees for supporting their work.

The importance of partnerships was another major focus of the anniversary service, with Riley describing partnership as “the power which drives the CDEMA system”.

She acknowledged national disaster coordinators, government officials, the private sector, civil society, CARICOM regional institutions, regional and international militaries, development partners, philanthropic organisations, the media, service providers, volunteers and other stakeholders.

“We could not have delivered for 35 years without you,” Riley said.

She also offered special appreciation to the government of Barbados for hosting CDEMA throughout its 35-year history.

Senator Canon John Rogers shaking hands with congregation member (Photo credit: Lauryn Escamilla / Barbados TODAY)

The organisation’s work has included responses to major disasters and crises, including Hurricane Ivan in 2004, Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017, COVID-19 and, in 2025, Hurricane Melissa.

Riley said CDEMA has continued to evolve from a focus on preparedness and response to a broader disaster-management mandate centred on resilience.

“From navigating individual hazards to today addressing complex multi-hazard scenarios compounded by climate change,” she said, noting that the agency has expanded its resilience work across sectors and incorporated areas such as recovery.

According to Riley, CDEMA has coordinated more than 20 responses through the regional response mechanism, supporting participating states affected by tropical storms, hurricanes, floods, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, COVID-19 and wildfires.

The experiences had demonstrated the resilience of Caribbean people, she said.

“Through these events, we have witnessed something even more powerful than the impacts: the resilience, courage, and solidarity of Caribbean people,” Riley said.

She also acknowledged the lives lost and families permanently affected by disasters.

St George Parish Church (Photo credit: Lauryn Escamilla / Barbados TODAY)

Looking ahead, Riley said CDEMA’s priorities include developing human capacity and leadership, strengthening youth engagement, improving technical capability, establishing sustainable financing, advancing digital transformation and working towards greater regional self-reliance.

She said the organisation remained “a critical regional organization and a global leader”.

The anniversary celebrations will continue this week with a public lecture on Wednesday, September 9, featuring CDEMA’s first executive director, Jeremy Collymore, who will reflect on the organisation’s journey from CDERA to CDEMA, the lessons learned and their significance for Caribbean resilience.

CDEMA will also undertake a community beach clean-up at Brighton Beach on Saturday, September 12, followed by the painting of a multi-purpose room at St Matthew’s Primary School on Saturday, September 19.

The organisation plans to formally recognise a number of its partners in December during the 14th Caribbean Conference on Comprehensive Disaster Management in Georgetown, Guyana.

Riley closed by reaffirming CDEMA’s commitment to the region, saying: “With God’s guidance and your support, CDEMA will continue to stand as a beacon of CARICOM functional cooperation, serving with humility, anchored in the spirit of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, and relentless in our pursuit of resilient states, safer lives. (LE)