The 10th Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) Conference of 2017 under the theme Check Point 2017 Building Resilience through Partnerships is currently taking place in Nassau Bahamas (December 4-9, 2017). On Monday December 3, 2017 the Conference was opened by the keynote speaker the Honorable Dr. Hubert Minnis-Prime Minister, Commonwealth of The Bahamas. Delegates in attendance were drawn from all 18 Participating States of Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), regional and international institutions and partners such as the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), African Caribbean Pacific Group (ACP), Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Fund (CCRIF) and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). The Jamaican Delegation was led by the Director General of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) Major Clive Davis. The thought provoking sessions so far included:  Performance Monitoring of the Regional Strategies  Review of preparedness, response and recovery in relations to Hurricanes Irma & Maria  Private Sector Engagement  Safe Schools Agenda  Integrating Disaster Risk Management into Research, Policy & Practice  Professional Development, Management & Communication
Additionally, youths from the CDEMA participating states were invited to participate in the Conference. They staged a debate on Thursday December 7. The Youth Ambassador for Jamaica Antonette Dennis, President of the National Secondary Schools Council (NSSC) also participated in High Level Session on Investing in Disaster Resilience in a Changing Climate. The ODPEM’s Director General Major Clive Davis handed over a donation of $86,110,000 USD to Mrs. Gloria Joseph: Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Planning to The Common Wealth of Dominica. These funds were the donation made by corporate and ordinary Jamaicans to the Disaster Relief Fund established by ODPEM in the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Overall, the week’s agenda is strategically structured to allow participants to learn, share and connect on the way forward to comprehensive disaster management and disaster risk reduction.