ST JOHNS, Antigua – Nineteen participants from 12 local ministries and departments in Antigua and Barbuda benefitted from an information and data management training workshop held at the National Office of Disaster Services (NODS) from September 16-18, 2019.
The workshop was implemented under the project “Strengthen integrated and cohesive preparedness capacity at a regional, national and community level in the Caribbean”, was facilitated by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) in collaboration with NODS.
The participants were introduced to the basic principles of information and data management before, during and after a disaster event. They reviewed concepts such as information flows, methods and tools for data/information collection, information products including timelines for development and distribution, data visualization and mapping for better analysis and decision making.
CDEMA and UNOCHA have embarked on a collaborative approach to build information management, assessment and interoperability capacities in the region through a number of sub-regional and national workshops.
“This information and data management workshop builds upon the previous workshops implemented during 2018-2019, but with a focus on the needs within Antigua and Barbuda in the aspects of information management and best practices. We are very pleased to once again partner with UNOCHA and NODS to facilitate the building of national capacity in this area, said Clive Murray, communication and education specialist, CDEMA.
Brenda Eriksen, information management officer, UN OCHA commented, “Data sharing is critical to improving the efficiency of response efforts and enabling informed action during emergencies”.
Technical support will be provided in the upcoming months by the UNOCHA team to elaborate on the new and adjusted products explored during the workshop through the Caribbean information management working group.
Funding support for this workshop was made possible by the “Strengthen integrated and cohesive preparedness capacity at a regional, national and community level in the Caribbean” project.
This project supports concrete actions for an effective early warning system, as well as aims to improve information management and operational capacity for an improved preparedness mechanism for the Caribbean regional response – working with Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Saint Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Cuba at a national and community level, and with regional early warning and response actors at the Caribbean level.
United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and the International Federation of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent (IFRC) are partnering with the general directorate of Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid of the European Union (ECHO) to reduce the risk of disasters in the region.
