Page 16 - ARUBA TODAY

A16 LOCAL
Thursday 11 May 2017
CARPHA Joins Regional Climate Resilience Alliance

GEORGETOWN, GUYANA tium, CARPHA follows in the
- The Caribbean Public footsteps of other agencies
Health Agency (CARPHA) representing the region’s
signed a Letter of Agree- climate-sensitive sectors.
ment (LoA) recently to join Sectoral partners who have
other CARICOM and non- already signed on include
Governmental agencies, the Caribbean Agricul-
representing climate-sen- tural Research and Devel-
sitive sectors in the Carib- opment Institute (CARDI),
bean, as the lead health the Caribbean Disaster
partner on the Consortium Emergency Management
of Regional Sectoral Early Agency (CDEMA), the Ca-
Warning Information Sys- ribbean Tourism Organiza-
tems Across Climate Tim- tion (CTO), the Caribbean
escales (EWISACTs) Coordi- Hotel & Tourism Association
nation Partners. (CHTA) and the Caribbean
This initiative is currently be- Water and Wastewater As-
ing spearheaded by the sociation (CWWA).
Caribbean Institute for Me- Dr. Farrell noted, “the CIMH
teorology and Hydrology welcomes the formal inclu-
(CIMH). sion of CARPHA into the
Dr. David Farrell, Principal Consortium of Regional
of the CIMH, which func- EWISACTS Coordination
tions as the Chair and cli- Partners which significantly
mate services provider for signing to Dr. C. James Annual Health Research and Chikungunya,” said Dr. enhances this unique stra-
for the EWISACTs Consor- Hospedales, Executive Di- Conference in George- Hospedales. tegic partnership that sup-
tium, presented the LoA rector of CARPHA at 62nd town, Guyana. The signing As a member of the Consor- ports the region’s adapta-
event took place recently
at the Georgetown Mar-
riott Hotel. “Through this
agreement, CARPHA will
work with CIMH other Con-
sortium partners to co-de-
velop tailored climate early
warning products and ser-
vices that regional health
practitioners can use to
better prepare for climate-
driven health risks, including
mosquito-borne diseases
including as dengue, Zika

tion to extreme weather,
increasing climate variabil-
ity and climate change.
Through CARPHA’s par-
ticipation, a better under-
standing of how climate
directly and indirectly influ-
ences regional health will
be developed and new
joint products and services
built to mitigate identified
challenges to improve
health outcomes leading
to a healthier more pro-
ductive Caribbean.”
The agreement makes the
Caribbean the first region
globally to officially cre-
ate and implement a joint
commitment between cli-
mate-sensitive sectors and
a climate services provider
to build climate resilience.
The multi-sectoral part-
nership was established
through the United States
Agency for International
Development’s (USAID)
Programme for Building Re-
gional Climate Capacity
in the Caribbean (BRCCC
Programme), a three-year
project made possible
through the generous sup-
port of the American peo-
ple and implemented by
the CIMH. q