Bridgetown, Barbados, September 3, 2025 – The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) and the CARICOM Development Fund (CDF) have formalized a significant partnership to strengthen disaster response efforts across the Caribbean.
This was achieved through the signing of a Transfer of Funds Agreement by the CDF’s Chief Executive Officer, Rodinald Soomer and CDEMA’s Executive Director, Ms. Elizabeth Riley on Tuesday, September 2nd, 2025, at the CDEMA Headquarters in Bridgetown.
The Agreement reflects the approval given by the CDF’s Board of Directors to transfer the sum of US$300,000.00 as a grant from the Fund’s Emergency Disaster Assistance Facility to CDEMA, to support the deployment, operation, and coordination of Response Teams under CDEMA’s Regional Response Mechanism (RRM). The Beneficiary Participating States include Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Speaking on behalf of the CDF, Mr. Soomer emphasized the Fund’s commitment to resilience building across the Caribbean. He noted that the financial support will ensure that CDEMA has the immediate resources available to respond rapidly and effectively in times of crisis.
“I am pleased as a partner regional institution, that we can have this kind of collaboration and for the opportunity to express it in such a tangible way, and through CDEMA, to come to the aid of the region, especially during the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season.”
Ms. Riley acknowledged the agreement as a timely boost for the region’s preparedness.
“This partnership reflects the spirit of solidarity and shared responsibility that defines our region. By securing these funds, we can enhance the readiness of the Regional Response Mechanism and give our Participating States the confidence that support will be available when most needed,” she stated.
Under the terms of the agreement, the funds will be used solely for disaster response operations and will directly support humanitarian assistance, logistics, telecommunications, and rapid needs assessment deployments across the region.
In the photo: from left, CDEMA’s Deputy Executive Director Lt. Col. Kester Craig, Manager Human Resources & Admin, Mrs. Carrie-Anne Morris-Searles, CDF’s Legal Counsel, Mr. Arden Warner, CDF’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Rodinald Soomer, CDEMA’s Executive Director, Ms. Elizabeth Riley, CDEMA’s Manager, Planning and Business Development, Ms. Andria Grosvenor and Manager Preparedness and Response, Mr. Mandela Christian.