Montserrat’s first Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) Country Work Programme (CWP) was signed off by the Governor’s Office and handed-over to the Disaster Management Coordination Agency (DMCA) on Wednesday, October 29, 2025.
During the Hand-Over Ceremony it was announced that Montserrat is the first of the 12 CDEMA Participating States, including UK Overseas Territories going through this process, to have completed the official handover of the CDM CWP.
The CWP, with the impact statement ‘Building a Stronger Montserrat Through the Promotion of a Multi-Hazard Risk Reduction Culture’, will be the national CDM road map over a 5-year period aimed at reducing loss and vulnerability due to hazard events.
In her remarks at the Hand-Over Ceremony, Governor, Her Excellency Harriett Cross welcomed the CWP. “I really commend the work plan, I’ve read through it and think it is really impressive and I look forward to being part of the implementation process and the future excellence that this will lead to,” expressed Governor Cross.
The development of the CDM CWP focuses on strategic interventions and activities aimed at bolstering multi-hazard disaster risk reduction by involving all people across the four phases of the disaster management cycle—mitigation, preparedness, response and
recovery.
Director of the Disaster Management Coordination Agency (DMCA), Lt. Col. Alvin Ryan noted that recent disasters regionally and local experiences in Montserrat such as Hurricane Hugo and the eruption of the Soufriere Hills Volcano, highlighted the need for a more structured approach to disaster management.
He stated, “The CWP is a results-based multi-year programme for the furtherance of disaster management in Montserrat. As a participating state in the CDEMA mechanism it is not only a necessity but it is a requirement as it creates the framework for clearly identified national priorities and gives donor agencies an avenue to comfortably support our work both technically and financially.”
The development of the CDM CWP was supported by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) in partnership with The University of the West Indies (The UWI) Disaster Risk Reduction Centre (DRRC) with funding from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).
Director of The UWI Disaster Risk Reduction Centre, Dr. Evangeline Innis-Springer commended Montserrat’s stakeholder involvement approach during the CWP development process as a model for the region. She also signaled The UWI DRRC’s continued support as Montserrat implements the CWP.
“Although the CWP has been completed, I want to give you our commitment, even outside of the project that is being funded by the CDB through CDEMA Coordinating Unit, as the Disaster Risk Reduction Centre from The UWI, to walk along with you on this journey as you not only implement the CWP but help you to be able to monitor, evaluate and do the reporting,” expressed Dr. Innis-Springer. This sentiment was also echoed by the DRRC’s focal point person assigned to Montserrat, Ms. Stacy-Ann Austin, who attended the ceremony.
The development of the CDM CWP follows an assessment of the disaster risk reduction mechanisms through a CDM audit of Montserrat in 2024, and consultations earlier this year with stakeholders representing a wide cross section of Government and other agencies.
The CWP is aligned with regional and global disaster risk reduction strategies, namely the Regional CDM Strategy, Sendai Framework and the Sustainable Development Goals.
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