PARAMARIBO, Suriname (CMC) — A four-day workshop aimed at strengthening and sustaining national resilience through prioritised targeting of the most vulnerable communities began here on Tuesday.

The Strategic Targeting Methodology (STM) workshop is organised by the Barbados-based Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), in partnership with the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

Speaking at the opening of the workshop, CDEMA Executive Director Ronald Jackson said, “the importance of this event cannot be overstated as we are well aware that communities are the first to be adversely affected by disaster events, especially if they are highly vulnerable.

“CDEMA is promoting the strengthening of community resilience as a critical plank in national development strategies,” he added.

The STM is one tool that has been developed to provide the relevant information needed to select communities that are considered most vulnerable to natural disasters. It supports a joint prioritisation of communities at the national level so that the most vulnerable communities are targeted.

Jackson said the “current climate change dilemma will continue to increase the frequency and intensity of climate driven hazards, making them more unpredictable than what we would have traditionally experienced.

“We must gain a better understanding of the capacity and resource needs as well as the priority areas for action necessary to reduce the vulnerability and exposure of our communities.