Caribbean Red Cross biennial meeting
Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
30 May to 2 June, 2001

The leadership of fifteen Red Cross National Societies and six overseas branches in the Caribbean region endorsed the draft of a new Regional Strategy at their latest biennial meeting, held in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, from 30 May to 2 June 2001.

Focussing strongly on the core areas of the Federation's Strategy 2010, the document lays out the priority areas for Red Cross activity in the Caribbean up to the year 2005.

It was adopted unanimously by the National Societies and overseas branches present at the Port of Spain meeting, after extensive discussion involving the National Societies and Branches themselves, the Federation (represented by staff from both the Secretariat and the Caribbean regional delegation, based in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic), the ICRC, and key Participating National Societies.

The regional strategy highlights actions to deal with the growing threat of HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean - the region is the second worst-affected area in the world in per capita terms, following sub-Saharan Africa. It also gives high priority to disaster prevention and response - a vital concern in a region subjected to floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and an annual battering by Atlantic hurricanes.

The importance of promoting humanitarian values in a region marked by extremes of poverty and wealth is also acknowledged in the strategy document. Finally, the draft strategy proposes new approaches to working together as a Movement and building strong National Societies.

In her address to the meeting, Federation President Astrid N. Heiberg said of the strategy document that she was "delighted to observe that the National Societies of the Caribbean had participated actively in the preparation. In collaboration with the regional delegation, they have placed their needs and priorities where they belong: at the basis of the strategy."

In order to ensure that this "ownership" of the regional strategy remains firmly with the National Societies and Overseas Branches, the regional delegation is working with the Caribbean Co-operation of the Red Cross (CCORC - a body representing the region´s National Societies and Overseas Branches) to establish a mechanism to monitor regularly the implementation of activities foreseen in the document.

"I think this is a big step forward", says Federation Head of regional delegation John Humphreys, "Together, we have achieved what I believe is a truly inclusive regional strategy, developed through a participatory process in close consultation with our partners in the Movement. The challenge now will be to secure the funding necessary to put into action these vital programmes."

This was a concern shared by numerous participants. But in spite of this challenge, the mood after the meeting was up-beat; as one National Society participant put it: "Excellent interaction, participation of all, and the objectives were fully achieved!"