FEATURE ADDRESS SENATOR THE HONOURABLE FAZAL KARIM, MINISTER OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND TERTIARY EDUCATION AT THE

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1 FEATURE ADDRESS BY SENATOR THE HONOURABLE FAZAL KARIM, MINISTER OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND TERTIARY EDUCATION AT THE OPENING OF THE GLOBAL EARTHQUAKE MODEL (GEM) CARIBBEAN REGIONAL PROGRAMME WORKSHOP AT THE KAPOK HOTEL, PORT OF SPAIN ON MONDAY 2 ND MAY, 2011 AT 8:30 A.M. 0

2 PROTOCOL LIST PVC, Prof. Clement Sankat, Principal of UWI- St. Augustine Dr. Rui Pinho Secretary-General, GEM Foundation Representatives from The University of West Indies, Seismic Research Centre Representatives of the Association of Caribbean States Other Stakeholder Agencies Specially Invited Guests Members of the Media Ladies and Gentlemen 1

3 The Government of Trinidad and Tobago thanks the Secretariat of the Global Earthquake Model (GEM) along with The University of the West Indies, the business community and other local organizations for their financial support in making possible this three-day workshop to launch the GEM Caribbean Regional Programme. We also take the opportunity to commend the Seismic Research Centre (SRC) of UWI for the initiative they continue to demonstrate in seeking to position Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean region to be earthquake resilient. This inaugural Workshop could be of no greater relevance taking place less than two months following the unprecedented earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan; an event which followed the devastating earthquake in our region that struck Haiti on 12 January

4 We take this opportunity to reiterate our deepest sympathies and compassion to those countries affected by these recent severe earthquakes and tsunamis. The Government is acutely aware of the vulnerability of coastal communities and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to the impact of natural disasters, and in our own region, have recently felt the wrath and witnessed the devastating effects of the earthquake in Haiti. It is important to note that the Haitian earthquake caused at least ten times more deaths than the combined total in the Caribbean Region since This earthquake was not one of the largest that the region can generate. The large number of deaths (>200,000) was attributed to the lack of proper planning compounded by absence of will and resources to effect earthquake risk 3

5 reduction measures such as compliance with proper building codes. These events have brought untold suffering to people in diverse places around the world, and underscore our vulnerability to the impact of a single event that can significantly alter or result in, the complete reversal of a country s development path. A good example of this was the Japan earthquake where despite the expenditure of about 1% of the national budget on disaster preparedness for the last thirty years, the existing models may not have adequately catered for the magnitude of the event that occurred. We therefore support the call for the design, development and deployment of state-of-the-art models and tools for earthquake risk assessment worldwide as 4

6 envisioned by GEM and as outlined by Dr. Rui Pinho, Secretary General of GEM Foundation in his Address. The Peoples Partnership Government of Trinidad and Tobago strongly supports such initiatives and it has become more critical than ever to address the issue of disaster risk reduction in a more holistic and integrated manner in the context of sustainable development. Disasters, such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, hurricanes and floods continue to undermine the Caribbean s efforts to attain sustainable development. We therefore welcome the launching of this GEM Caribbean Regional Programme which will bring together all the key players and stakeholders in the Caribbean region to develop a strategy for achieving GEM s goals within the context of the Caribbean region. The Ministry of Scinence, Technology 5

7 and Tertiary Education of which I am proud to lead, will provide the support in human resource development, institutional capacity building, and transfer of technology - critical areas which will assist in making vulnerable states such as Trinidad and Tobago more resilient in the face of increasing frequency and severity of hazard impacts. We recognize that sustainable development is primarily a national responsibility, and we are committed to promoting sustainable development, eradicating poverty and improving the livelihoods of our people by implementing strategies, which build resilience and capacity to address our unique and particular vulnerabilities. An area of significant importance to the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, and the other Small Island Developing States in the Caribbean Region, is the issue of pre-disaster 6

8 financing. A large earthquake can inflict damage to the tune of significant proportion of national GDP or higher. The burden of financing such disasters from donations, loans and other post disaster sources is one which no developing country can afford today. In the Caribbean, insurance penetration is extremely low and new ex-ante instruments such as the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility can only cover a small proportion of the expected losses. Much work is needed to rebuild confidence in insurance companies, expand the markets and attract new risk transfer facilities such as catastrophe bonds and catastrophe pools. This however will require the development and communication of more prudent risk models. We therefore hope that GEM will address this issue whereby a reinsurer or global primary insurer would 7

9 be able to calculate the average annual loss and probable maximum loss to a portfolio of buildings based on their own input exposure data. At the national level, Trinidad and Tobago, like most of the countries in the English-speaking Caribbean, is making a concerted effort to widen the scope of disaster management by pursuing a national and regional Comprehensive Disaster Management, CDM Strategy. This CDM concept speaks to the incorporation of disaster prevention and mitigation measures as an integral part of the disaster continuum. We acknowledge that it forms an essential component in the pursuit of national and regional sustainable development goals. The Government of Trinidad and Tobago has adopted the CDM Strategy and is in the process of re-engineering its 8

10 national disaster management organization ODPM - to meet the challenges of an expanded national mandate and it will be provided with adequate resources which will enable the Government to carry out risk reduction initiatives in an orderly and systematic manner. Facilities for the coordination of national, regional and international disaster management actions will be significantly modernised and enhanced to improve capacity. An updated National Disaster Plan will identify multiple hazards, adequate resources, and provide for the direct involvement of the public and private sectors, non-governmental organisations, international, regional and community based actors in disaster management. My colleague, the Honourable Chandresh Sharma, Minister of Local Government, also launched the Trinbago 9

11 Emergency Network Team (TENT) as a coordinated response team which comprise volunteers including doctors, social workers, supermarket owners, farmers, contractors and NGOs to support the already established institutions such as the Office of Disaster Preparedness and the Local Government Corporations in disaster management throughout Trinidad and Tobago. These bold initiatives being undertaken by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago clearly demonstrates that we are cognisant of the role we must play, both at national and regional levels in investing in disaster risk reduction. We cannot afford to ignore the social and economic investments that can be wiped out by a significant hazard impact, not to mention the loss of life and human suffering, which ensues. We must demonstrate the political will and other capability 10

12 to reduce vulnerability and guarantee greater security in the investments our people make. As a small independent nation, Trinidad and Tobago will continue to work with international and regional donor partners and governments to strengthen national and regional disaster management mechanisms like the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency, CDEMA. Our successes in regional cooperation and coordination are a model worth emulating. We therefore stand ready to share our experiences and expertise with other regions of the world. We sincerely appreciate the support of other governments, donor agencies and other partners in our efforts at reducing vulnerability and managing risks. We will continue to support regional and international initiatives, which seek to highlight the 11

13 vulnerabilities of Small Island Developing States such as Trinidad and Tobago and we support a concerted global approach to tackling the challenges of disaster loss reduction and management such as GEM. We look forward to a successful conclusion of this inaugural three-day Caribbean Regional Programme workshop, and more importantly to the implementation of the recommendations, which should set us on a sure path to achieving Sustainable Development and a safer world for our people and so I have great pleasure in declaring this workshop open. Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you. 12