Regional Short Course on Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) by Carol-Faye Bynoe-George
A three days training pertaining to “Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) was held in Havana, Cuba during June 25th to 27th. Antigua and Barbuda was represented by Dr. Diandra Payne/Veterinary Officer for the Veterinary and Livestock within the Ministry of Agriculture.
The regional training action course on DRRM will be developed by CENSA (Cuba), WOAH Collaborating Center for Reduction of the Risk of Disasters in Animal Health within the framework of the CaribGREEN project with the partnership of the Caribbean Animal Health Network (CaribVET). Partners will work on the course design, deliver the course and link it to ongoing emergency preparedness activities in the region, where appropriate. Target audience includes staff from ministries of agriculture, producer organizations and extension services with background on disaster management.
The training was conducted in Spanish but this was not a challenge for Dr. Payne since the formative years of her veterinary studies were done in the language and on Cuba back then and made “Spanish” her second language.
Based on the frequency and magnitude of emerging zoonotic disease outbreaks have increased in recent decades, with a sequence of epidemics suspected to have resulted from human practices that directly or indirectly impact on wildlife ecology: Avian Influenza viruses, Nipah virus, SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, Ebola and SARS-CoV-2, to name the six most lethal. In addition, various diseases and pests affecting animals and plants, respectively, can have a high impact on the productivity of agrifood systems and, consequently, on food security. Both contexts highlight the need to consider and act on agriculture from the One Health perspective.
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) include the conception of implementing measures in a continuous cyclical sequence of the respective phases to prevent new disaster risks, reduce the existing ones and manage residual risks, thereby contributing to building resilience and reducing disaster losses. It therefore becomes a strategy to prevent erosion in the reach of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Key objectives of the course
General Objective Contribute to the training of specialists in the agricultural sector to actively participate in risk reduction and disaster management with impact on animals, crops and public health, from a territorial, multidisciplinary and intersectoral perspective, focusing on “One Health” approach.
Specific Objectives:
- Understand the characteristics of disaster hazards (sanitary, hydrometeorological, geological and technological), as well as their consequences for agricultural production and health.
- Plan, organize and develop the activities corresponding to the stages of the Disaster Risk Reduction Cycle.
- Know the methodological tools for hazard, vulnerability and disaster risk assessment.
Expected outcomes of the Workshop
At the end of the course, trainees are able to:
- Define the major components of emergency and disaster risk reduction planning from the perspective of agricultural sector with a multi-hazard approach.
- Understand the impact of emergencies and disasters in the agricultural sector based on the One Health approach.
- Understand the main concepts and approaches of planning for emergencies and disasters.
“It was a very interesting and timely short course especially now that we are at the beginning of our main disaster season. It has exposed our shortcomings as a nation in the way we approach disasters in general and has highlighted and reinforced the importance of prevention and preparation. It also reminded us as Veterinarians the significant role that we play in One Health”, said Dr. Payne.
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