 The Honourable Philip J. Pierre, Prime Minister of St. Lucia, was elected on July 26, 2021. Prime Minister Pierre also serves as the Minister for Finance, Economic Development and the Youth Economy and is the CARICOM Prime Ministerial Quasi-Cabinet Lead on Sustainable Development including Environment, Water and Disaster Management. The Honourable Philip J. Pierre will be sharing important remarks on the alignment of this initiative with the comprehensive disaster management strategy of the Caribbean region. Welcome Honourable Prime Minister. Let me absorb the protocol already established, but let me be especially mention Prime Minister of Barbados, the Honourable Mayor Moti and Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and Dr. Kala Banet of CARICOM. The Caribbean region is blessed with immense natural beauty, but is considered to be an active area globally for natural disasters. We are told that this region is the second-most disaster prone region in the world and our country's experience of diversity of hazards, natural, biological and environmental. Hurricanes tend to visit our shores regularly, causing extensive physical infrastructure and sometimes nearly wiping out the entire GDP of our country in loss and damage within hours. It is reported that Hurricane Mariah's impact on Dominica was US 1.37 billion in damages. In Puerto Rico, it was 60 billion damages after the passage of a hurricane. It is also known that in 2017 the 27th hurricane season was the costliest on record with close to US 300 billion damages. And so disaster risk reduction, mitigation, middle resilience and recovery have become top priority action areas for the survival of the Caribbean states. The G of the Sendai framework for disaster risk reduction is to, and I quote, Substantial increase the availability of and access to multi-hazard warning systems and disaster information and assessments to people by 2040, and note the emphasis on the world people. This is critical in the management of complex hazards which are experienced by our Caribbean states and compounded by the negative impact of climate change. The UN General Secretary, early warnings for all initiative, will be of many focus on multi-hazards. This multi-hazard early warning system correctly places emphasis on the safety of people. Early warning systems do not only save lives, but also provide vast economic benefits. They are considered to be low-hanging fruit for climate change and happiness because they are relatively cheap in comparison to the cost of dealing with the consequences of improper planning and preparedness. We are told by the WMO that just 24 hours of notice of an independent hazardous risk event can cut the ensuing damage per cent. It is a global test based on the total losses of between 3 to 16 billion per annum. If hazards ranging from hurricanes, earthquakes, flooding, volcanic eruptions, health pandemics and those related to pests and diseases on crops and livestock, there is no doubt that a multi-hazard approach is necessary involving coordination across numerous national ministries and agencies and also regional agencies. All effectively operating early warning systems to adjust the onslaught of hazards to which the Caribbean region is exposed. The Caribbean region must continue to implement measures to change our fortunes to become more resilient to natural disasters. Early warning systems in conjunction with effective communication of environmental risks is in many ways the key to impacting good social behaviour and sensible actions among people. We must acknowledge that emergency management involves prevention, preparedness, response, mitigation and recovery. However, the best disaster response is ensuring that we have the foresight to avoid it from the start or to take upfront measures to minimize the social and economic impact. The regional comprehensive disaster management strategy is a Caribbean vehicle for the implementation of the Sendai framework for disaster reduction. Priority 4 of the comprehensive disaster management strategy, CDM, recognizes the importance of early warning systems and specifically of ensuring that it is effective at a community level so that the most vulnerable are reached. Consistent in the targeted results of the CDM strategy, the CDEMO units with the support of developing partners have made some significant investments in early warning systems, including governance dating back to 2014 when the model comprehensive disaster management legislation was enhanced to incorporate early warning system regulations. The multi hazard early warning system checklist was revised in 2018 and fully enhanced in 2021. The checklist has been applied in seven CDEMO participating states and is programmed to be applied in others. Work progressed towards the enhancement of an early warning system for the Cleveland region with the formation of the regional early warning systems consortium, REWSC, in 2017. In 2022, CDEMO World Bank regional summary reports on multi hazard early warning checklist and analysis in the Caribbean identified priorities for improvements, including stronger integration of science and technology into the framework. According to consideration, the emerging realities of climate change. It is evident that we have made progress over the years, but there is still more to be done. The work of CDEMO has shown that participating states, the power of regional approach to comprehensive disaster management, as such investment in multi hazard early warning systems remain a priority for CDEMO. Participating states and is primarily featured in the CDEMO coordinating unit strategic plan and associated work programs for 2022 to 2027. This provides an important avenue for implementation of the early warning systems for all initiatives. CDEMO looks forward to playing a leading role in the implementation of the early warning system for all initiatives on behalf of its participating states in line with target G of the Sendai framework for disaster risk reduction 2015 to 2030. I thank you. Thank you, Honourable Prime Minister, for elaborating the context of this initiative within the framework of the regional comprehensive disaster management strategy.