The second in-country consultation to support the development of a Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) Country Work Programme (CWP) for Montserrat was held on Wednesday, 30 April 2025, at the Disaster Management Coordination Agency (DMCA). The session brought together technocrats from both the public and private sectors.
This initiative aims to strengthen disaster risk reduction measures across Montserrat. In keeping with CDM’s “all people, all phases” approach, representatives from a wide range of organizations were invited to provide feedback and contribute to the activities and deliverables of the CWP, which will be a five-year strategic plan for Montserrat.
The consultation featured presentations and interactive sessions, including group discussions and participatory activities. Key areas of focus included drafting the CWP Impact Statement and its Outcome and Output statements.
Ms. Stacy-Ann Austin, Disaster Risk Management Technical Programming Associate at the University of the West Indies Disaster Risk Reduction Centre (UWI DRRC), who is leading the on-island consultations, delivered a featured presentation. She outlined the proposed approach to developing the CWP, highlighted priority areas to be addressed, and discussed the expected outcomes of the strategic plan.
Ms. Shirlian Queeley, Information and Education Officer at the DMCA reaffirmed the agency’s unwavering commitment to developing the CWP. She encouraged participants to actively contribute to this critical consultative process, which aims to build a stronger multi-hazard risk reduction culture in Montserrat.
Ms. Queeley emphasized that Montserrat’s resilience has been tested for nearly three decades—navigating life with an active volcano, the loss of two-thirds of its habitable land, and ongoing exposure to natural and technological hazards. These experiences have deepened our understanding of Montserrat’s unique vulnerabilities and strengthened our commitment to proactive, integrated disaster risk management. In this context, the Country Work Programme provides a strategic framework to address the gaps identified in the October 2024 CDM Audit, while also building on Montserrat’s existing strengths to enhance long-term resilience.
Looking ahead, the next phase of the process will focus on developing a performance Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) framework for the CWP. This framework will ensure that implementation remains data-driven, transparent, and aligned with established goals. Once finalized, the CWP is expected to be endorsed at the highest levels of government, including at the Cabinet level.
The Country Work Programme will serve as a national blueprint for implementing CDM, aligning Montserrat’s disaster management efforts across all phases of the disaster cycle: preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery. The CWP also promotes the active involvement of key stakeholders across all sectors and will ultimately serve as Montserrat’s strategic roadmap for reducing vulnerability and enhancing resilience to both natural and technological hazards.
The development of the CWP is being guided by the results of the Montserrat 2024 Comprehensive Disaster Management Audit, which assessed the island’s disaster risk reduction systems in line with regional and international standards. These stakeholder consultations represent a significant milestone in Montserrat’s ongoing commitment to building a safer, more resilient future through coordinated and comprehensive disaster management.
