On May 21st, the Organization of American States’ (OAS) Department of Sustainable Development organized a regional workshop for Caribbean governments in Saint-Lucia to discuss the state of emergency and disaster legislation in the region.
Over the last year, the OAS has commissioned research and consultations on national laws of 11 Caribbean countries through its Caribbean Emergency Legislation Project. “The project aims to make recommendations on how to improve legislative channels and administrative procedures during, and immediately after, the occurrence of a natural disaster”, explained OAS Legal Specialist Michelle-Ann Williams.
According to Williams, OAS’s research indicated that, in a number of Caribbean countries, there was a lack of clear direction in existing law as to certain key response actions, compounded by a lack of implementing legislation to flesh out the general rules expressed in statutes. Several countries lacked national building codes, which was seen as a serious problem by stakeholders. Existing legislation also had gaps as to the procedures for receiving international relief assistance.
In this latter connection, IFRC IDRL Delegate for the Americas Isabelle Granger was invited to present on the IDRL Guidelines and the work of the IDRL Program in the Americas, give examples of the most common legal problems faced by states in disaster response and early recovery based on the IFRC’s global research, and inform on progress achieved by states in the region in this field.
“The IFRC and its member National Societies look forward to continue our collaboration with OAS and member states on these issues in the upcoming year,” Granger noted.