UK and CDEMA Sign renewed MoU to Strengthen Caribbean Disaster Preparedness and Response
As the 2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season begins, the United Kingdom has reaffirmed its commitment to regional resilience by signing a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA). The agreement enhances disaster preparedness and emergency response across the Caribbean, particularly in times when national capacities are overwhelmed.
The MoU was signed at CDEMA Headquarters in Barbados and provides flexible emergency funding, including an immediate mobilisation fund to support rapid deployment of emergency response teams.
Speaking at the ceremony, Simon Mustard, British High Commissioner to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, stated:
“The UK is proud to stand in solidarity with CDEMA and its member states. This MoU ensures that we can respond swiftly—within 24 hours—to any CDEMA request for emergency funding, recognising the critical importance of timely humanitarian action. It builds on our longstanding partnership, which has supported responses to major disasters including Hurricane Dorian, the La Soufrière eruption, the 2021 Haiti earthquake, and Hurricane Beryl.”
This new agreement builds on a previous MoU that enabled the UK to support over 200 expert responders through CDEMA’s Regional Response Mechanism during Hurricane Beryl in 2024, which caused an estimated USD $1.5 billion in damages and significant GDP losses across the Caribbean.
Beyond emergency response, the UK continues to invest in long-term resilience through the £350 million UK-Caribbean Infrastructure Fund, which supports climate-resilient infrastructure projects such as roads, bridges, seaports, and renewable energy systems. Additional UK support includes:
- Expansion of the SMART Health Care Facilities initiative to strengthen disaster-resilient health infrastructure.
- Promotion of renewable energy sources such as geothermal and offshore wind.
- Enhancement of disaster risk financing through the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF), now extended to cover water utilities via the Caribbean Water Utility Insurance Collective (CWUIC).
Elizabeth Riley, Executive Director of CDEMA, welcomed the renewed partnership:
“Together, these partnerships represent a significant investment in regional resilience. We at CDEMA are confident that with the support of critical partners, our Regional Response Mechanism is better equipped than ever to response swiftly to emergencies and continue building a more resilient Caribbean”.
As the region faces another above-average hurricane season, this renewed UK-CDEMA partnership underscores the importance of proactive planning, rapid response, and international cooperation in safeguarding Caribbean communities.
