Havana, Cuba: In the margins of his State Visit in Cuba, the President of the Republic of Seychelles, Mr Danny Faure also held discussions with Colonel Luis Angel Macareno Veliz, the Deputy Head of the Nations Civil Defense General Staff responsible for Disaster Risk Management.

Accompanied by other Cuban partnering agencies such as Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment, Col. Macareno Veliz presented to the Seychelles Presidential delegation with an overview of the Cuban Disaster Risk Management system.

Cuba is highly respected in the disaster management community and is known for having one of the best systems and institutional structures implemented for disaster risk reduction, management and response. The Cuban model has been widely adopted and is referred to as one of the most practical, especially for developing countries.

Cooperation between Seychelles and Cuba in the field of Disaster Risk Management exits for a number of years however following the successful discussions during President Faure’s State visits, both Seychelles and Cuba have agreed on a set time frame and new target to conclude the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding that will ensure greater cooperation in the exchange of expertise and good practices on matters related to  disaster reduction  management.

President Faure thanked Col. Macareno Veliz and his team for receiving them and expressed his sincere wish that both countries continue to build even greater ties in the field of Disaster Risk Management.