H.E. Anton Edmunds, Permanent Representative of Saint Lucia to the OAS, in his capacity as Chair of the CARICOM Caucus of Ambassadors in Washington, D.C. on October 1, joined OAS Secretary General, Luis Almagro and the head of the Chilean Agency for International Development Cooperation (AGCID), Juan Pablo Lira, for the signing of an OAS-Chile-CARICOM Agreement.

The agreement which ushers in the second phase of a scholarship training program to benefit members of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in the field of disaster resilience.

The Government of Chile in 2017 initially pledged US$250,000 to education and training of CARICOM nationals in disaster preparedness. In this second phase, the Government of Chile has pledged an additional contribution of US$150,000 for 2019-2020.  Chile’s support will allow for a continued partnership with education institutions throughout CARICOM member states, including the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College in Saint Lucia.  Course will specifically focus on disaster risk management and resilience building.  “We continue to be grateful for the support of Chile, to both Saint Lucia and the wider CARICOM region, especially in light of the increase in ferocity of climate related events and the catastrophic impact of regional economic development”, comment Ambassador Edmunds.    

It is expected that at the end of the Program, the region will have strengthened capacities of public officials – administrators, academics and/or researchers - within these fields.