As the Atlantic Hurricane Season reaches its peak, more than 47 disaster management professionals from across the Caribbean and beyond have joined forces to launch the region’s first Shelter Technical Working Group.
Led by the Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the new platform aims to strengthen emergency shelter operations, ensure equitable aid distribution, and promote safer, more inclusive responses for people affected by disasters.
Tamara Lovell, Community Resilience Specialist at CDEMA, explained: “The purpose of this group is really to frame this as a start of what we consider to be a shelter management community for the Caribbean. Out of that, we’re also hoping to have a core group that we can establish to really advance shelter management considerations going forward.”
Since its launch, weekly meetings have fostered a strong, collaborative community ready to address urgent shelter needs. Both IOM and CDEMA have committed to placing local organizations and communities at the heart of shelter planning and response, recognizing their crucial role in making shelters safer and more inclusive for vulnerable groups and ensuring no one is left behind. Key participants include national disaster offices, local civil society organizations, and NGOs from across the Caribbean.
The working group has also launched a WhatsApp community for instant updates and peer support, alongside a dedicated website for sharing resources, technical guidance, and news. Upcoming sessions will address critical topics such as quality of relief goods, gender-based violence, cash support, and sustainable shelter solutions. The group will coordinate technical support, organize training, and mobilize relief supplies for rapid distribution if disaster strikes.
Organizations including IOM, ShelterBox, GSD, UNICEF, and Red Cross have already stockpiled emergency items such as plastic sheets, toolkits, solar lamps, tents, generators, and hygiene materials at CDEMA’s Logistics Hub in Barbados.
Jan-Willem Wegdam, IOM’s Emergency Coordinator for the Caribbean, closed the meeting with a call to action: “Let’s shape this agenda together. Let’s make this a welcoming community where your ideas and energy drive impact—and where we enjoy working together toward a safer Caribbean.”
The working group is supported by IOM under the RESILIENT CARIBBEAN Project, funded by the European Union, which was launched virtually by IOM on 16 September.
