Phillips tells Caribbean ministerial meeting region must unite on climate resilience, ignores similar importance at home

Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, has emphasised the urgent need for enhanced disaster preparedness and resilience across the Caribbean, underscoring the importance of disaster management initiatives and reaffirming Guyana’s commitment to a comprehensive and sustainable approach to disaster preparedness. The statement was part of his remarks delivered at the 14th Meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) in St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Tuesday.

Speaking to the urgent need for enhanced disaster preparedness, Phillips highlighted the impact of climate change on the Caribbean, pointing out Guyana’s firsthand experiences with severe weather events as highlighted in the report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on the unequivocal warming of the global climate system.

“The la niña-induced floods of 2021 and the el niño-driven wildfires of 2023-2024 are not isolated; they are a clarion call to all of us in the Caribbean,” he said, underscoring the necessity of Guyana’s climate disaster management strategy.

The prime minister said while it is impossible to prevent disasters from occurring, deliberate steps can be taken to mitigate the impact of disasters and ensure that communities and countries are prepared and resilient in the face of adversity. This recognition and admittance at the Caribbean forum is often not practiced by the Government, as evident in the numerous flood disasters that saw little, no or belated input from the Government. The most recent case being  in Linden, Region 10, the stronghold of the opposition, People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR).

The claim made at the conference that Guyana made significant strides in adopting a comprehensive disaster management, aligned with the priorities of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 and CDEMA’s Regional Comprehensive Disaster Management Strategy 2014-2024, failed to acknowledge existing deficiencies. Analysts argued Guyana’s ineffective management of climate change is largely driven by ineptitude and political partisanship.

Linden Mayor, Sharma Solomon, in highlighting Government’s poor flood management pointed out the dire flooding situation is a result of poorly executed infrastructural projects that have wreak havoc on the community. He pointed out that these projects, rather than alleviating flood risks, have worsened the situation, with poorly constructed drainage walls collapsing into the drains, and blocking the drains.

The CDEMA meeting was informed of Guyana’s Disaster Risk Management Bill, currently under review, is aimed to establish a solid legal framework for managing both natural and human-induced hazards in Guyana. Bills that come to the National Assembly are usually passed without bipartisan input and/or support as Government uses its one-seat parliamentary major to ensure passage.