1st Executive Board Meeting of the Disaster Risk Reduction Special Committee

1^ST JULY, 2022

The first meeting of Executive Board of the Special Committee on Disaster Risk Reduction (SCDRR) for the year 2022 was held on July 1st and was chaired by H.E. Mr. Alvaro Enrique Sanchez Cordero, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and Chair of the SCDRR. Also in attendance were the Vice-Chairs (Dominican Republic and Trinidad and Tobago); the Rapporteur (Mexico) and the staff of the Directorate for Disaster Risk Reduction, Environment and the Caribbean Sea (DECS), led by Director Ana Leticia Ramirez Cuevas.

The Bureau is responsible for guiding the implementation of the Disaster Risk Reduction work programme for the period 2022-2023 and the meeting served to familiarise the new board members with their important role and function. Director Ramirez presented the past and present work of the Directorate, and the strategic objectives and goals of the ACS Action Plan 2022-2028. The Chairman called for urgent collaboration and joint efforts for the benefit of the populations of all ACS Member States. He stressed the importance of capacity building and community participation in the face of worsening climate change impacts in the region and the continuation of recovery efforts after COVID19. The Chair invited the Board members to share their goals and visions for the coming year and relevant recommendations. It was decided that Board meetings would be held bi-monthly and that the SCDRR would convene its 30th meeting on 24 August 2022.