The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) is a regional inter-governmental agency for disaster management in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). The Agency was established in 1991 as CDERA (Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency) with primary responsibility for the coordination of emergency response and relief efforts to Participating States that require such assistance. It transitioned to CDEMA in 2009 to fully embrace the principles and practice of Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM).

(CDM) is an integrated and proactive approach to disaster management and seeks to reduce the risk and loss associated with natural and technological hazards and the effects of climate change to enhance regional sustainable development.

Since 2009, CDEMA’s mandate has expanded to position the regional disaster management body more strategically to fully take up its role as facilitator, driver, coordinator and motivating force for the promotion and engineering of Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) in all Participating States. CDEMA’s functions are as follows:

1. Mobilising and coordinating disaster relief;
2. Mitigating or eliminating, as far as practicable, the immediate consequences of disasters in Participating States;
3. Providing immediate and coordinated response by means of emergency disaster relief to any affected Participating State;
4. Securing, coordinating and providing to interested inter-governmental and non- governmental organisations reliable and comprehensive information on disasters affecting any Participating State;
5. Encouraging – (i) the adoption of disaster loss reduction and mitigation policies and practices at the national and regional level; (ii) cooperative arrangements and mechanisms to facilitate the development of a culture of disaster loss reduction; and
6. Coordinating the establishment, enhancement and maintenance of adequate emergency disaster response capabilities among the Participating States.