Ottawa, Ontario – Ahmed Hussen, Minister of International Development, concluded a 2-day trip to Grenada, from July 28 to 29, 2024, where he visited a community affected by Hurricane Beryl and represented Canada at the 47th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
On the margins of the CARICOM meeting, Minister Hussen met with: Dickon Mitchell, Grenada’s Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Minister for National Security, Home Affairs, Public Administration, Information and Disaster Management; Ralph Gonsalves, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines’ Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Legal Affairs and Tertiary Education; Roosevelt Skerrit, Dominica’s Prime Minister and Minister for Investment and Governance; Mia Mottley, Barbados’ Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Economic Affairs and Investment, Minister of National Security and the Public Service; and Albert Ramdin, Suriname’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Business and International Cooperation. Discussions centered on the regional recovery from Hurricane Beryl and important areas for collaboration, such as building regional resilience for future weather crises and alleviating financial pressures on Small Island Developing States.
While in Grenada, Minister Hussen visited a fish processing facility in the Gouyave Fish Market, where Canada and other donors are supporting a project aimed at improving the efficiency of the seafood supply chain and the sustainability of the market value of fish products.
Minister Hussen also visited Saint Mark Parish, on the western side of Grenada, to witness the damage Hurricane Beryl did to agricultural land. The Minister was accompanied by representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Representatives from the Canadian and local Red Cross provided an update on the response to the hurricane and support provided to the community.
Canada’s initial response to Hurricane Beryl included a $1.2-million funding commitment, to help meet the most immediate and urgent needs in the region, including with emergency essentials such as water, food and healthcare supplies. Canada’s funding is also enabling its partners to redirect resources used in existing projects to provide direct support to the Hurricane Beryl response, including emergency food assistance and logistics.
“As this devastating hurricane season continues, Canada has stepped up to help the Caribbean Region prepare for major disasters before and after they strike. We continue to work closely with our partners in the region, to support people affected by severe weather crises caused by climate change.” – Ahmed Hussen, Minister of International Development