Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Prime Minister Mia Mottley, has welcomed the official launch of the Caribbean Regional Logistics Hub and Centre of Excellence in Barbados, calling it a major milestone in the region’s disaster response capabilities.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony on Monday at the Grantley Adams International Airport, Mottley said the facility will play a critical role in delivering essential relief within the crucial first 48 to 72 hours following disasters or humanitarian crises.
Today we opened the @wfp_Caribbean Regional Logistics Hub in Barbados.
The hub will service our region and significantly improve our disaster response.
Thanks to @WFP, @WFPUSA, @Ch_JesusChrist, @EUinBarbados, @CanHCBarbados & @USEmbassyBtown.
This is the power of partnerships. pic.twitter.com/7hN51QBCiF
— Mia Amor Mottley (@miaamormottley) May 26, 2025
“This hub is about saving lives. Let’s be very, very clear,” the Barbados Prime Minister said, noting that the location of the hub in Barbados—“the most easterly” Caribbean island—was strategically chosen for its safety and proximity to the region. “If you have to wait on stuff to come from Panama, that’s 1,200 miles away. If you have to bring stuff from Miami, 1,500 miles away,” she added.
The new logistics hub is designed to stock and dispatch food, medicine, and other critical supplies to vulnerable populations across the region. While its primary focus is emergency response, Mottley emphasized its broader relevance. “It is not just limited to emergency responses for disasters. It is also going to be for humanitarian crises,” she said, highlighting the “utterly devastating situation in Haiti” where nearly half the population is affected by food insecurity.
Developed by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in partnership with the Barbados government, the facility offers 2,500 square metres of storage space, 1,300 pallet positions, and temperature-controlled cold storage. Funding for the project came from Canada, the European Union, USAID, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
WFP’s Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Lola Castro, underscored the importance of the hub in bolstering disaster preparedness. “Having seen how devastating hurricanes and other hazards can be in the Caribbean, we are proud to have this Caribbean Regional Logistics Hub in place,” she said. “WFP works with partners in the region and globally to enhance national response mechanisms to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of disaster response in order to save lives.”
Elizabeth Riley, Executive Director of the Barbados-based Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), described the hub as “the realisation of a long-standing vision” that took shape during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This transformative initiative marks a critical advancement in the region’s capacity to respond swiftly and effectively to emergencies through the Regional Response Mechanism,” she said. Riley noted that disaster activations have increased sharply—from just two between 2000 and 2009 to eight in the past five years—84 per cent of which were due to climate-related hazards.
The Centre of Excellence within the hub will also serve as a training and simulation site for regional disaster responders, aiming to strengthen capabilities across the Caribbean through shared practice and collaboration.
