Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
September 29 – October 3, 2014
The Organization for Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Regional Engineering Workshop in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) builds upon ongoing disaster risk reduction activities in the region, namely through the Regional Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Program (RDVRP) and the Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (PPCR). In December 2013, the OECS Regional Engineering Workshop, held in Grenada, commenced the formation of this regional engineering association, with the framework and modalities expected to be finalized during this workshop in SVG. A year earlier, in 2012, the Eastern Caribbean Climate Resilient Infrastructure Workshop in SVG addressed the challenge of integrating climate considerations into future public works designs and engineering processes. In this regard, it was agreed that a formal group of regional public works engineers would be established to develop a long-term plan to address climate change and other specific engineering challenges in the OECS. Main goals for the association, as indicated by chief engineers and senior technical officers, include: increase technical capacity and training opportunities; develop human resources and centers of excellence; develop design standards and building codes; and improve legislation and enforcement mechanisms.
Objectives:
- Finalize the framework for a sub-regional, engineering association of public works engineers, including development of a formal constitution and memorandum of understanding (MOU)
- Share knowledge and build capacity in areas such as coastal protection, river embankment protection, procurement issues and risk analysis.
- Collaborate on and develop a knowledge sharing platform for resources such as terms of reference, technical documents and other tools to facilitate project implementation and engineering analysis.
- Develop next steps and recommendations for continued collaboration, roles and responsibilities, and funding mechanisms to support short to medium terms goals of the Association.
Caribbean Handbook for Risk Information Management (CHaRIM) Workshop
The OECS Regional Engineering Workshop will be held in parallel with the CHaRIM Workshop also being held in SVG. The CHaRIM Workshop, as part of the Caribbean Risk Information Program, seeks to build capacity on natural hazard risk and risk assessment methodologies, provide training on several components of the handbook and obtain feedback from participants on the handbook’s content and applications. Participants of the workshop will include Chief Planners and GeoNode managers / key coordinators of geospatial data from each of the five countries targeted through the Caribbean Risk Information Program, namely Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The Caribbean Risk Information Program is fully funded through the Africa Caribbean Pacific – European Union (ACP-EU) Natural Disaster Risk Reduction Program, managed by GFDRR.
On Tuesday, September 30, both workshops will combine for interactive risk assessment sessions. Chief Engineers from each of the five countries listed above will also be required to join the CHaRIM Workshop on Thursday, October 2 and Friday, October 3.
Related Documents
Related Presentations
OECS Council of Public Sector Engineers