Artikel XIII

1. In addition to any other functions which the Council may specify, the Coordinating Unit shall:
a) develop and maintain a reliable damage assessment system and procedures to facilitate rapid and effective evaluation of national disasters;
b) develop and maintain a comprehensive and reliable data base of all relevant resources necessary to achieve the objectives of CDEMA and a system for updating the database;
c) establish, equip and maintain a coordinated emergency operations system capable of responding to emergency situations;
d) establish and maintain an efficient and reliable system of communications with sub-regional operational focal points in order to facilitate the mobilisation, deployment and coordination of disaster response supplies and services;
e) establish and maintain a reliable system of communications with the heads of national disaster management Agencies and ensure that their disaster response capabilities are maintained at agreed levels of operational efficiency;
f) establish arrangements with regional media houses designed to ensure the dissemination of reliable information on national disasters to the public;
g) establish arrangements with the CARICOM Committee of Ambassadors in the metropolitan centres in order to ensure the dissemination to them of reliable information on national disasters in Participating States and their cooperation in mobilising disaster relief resources on a timely and structured basis;
h) establish arrangements with regional airlines and shipping lines in order to ensure access to their facilities on a priority basis in the event of a disaster;
i) establish and maintain relations with international relief organisations in order to facilitate accessing their resources in the event of a disaster;
j) mobilise and organise technical assistance from interested national and international bodies to assist in the development of the disaster response capabilities of Participating States;
k) provide a clearing house for relevant information and intelligence in all matters relating to disasters including current research being undertaken in all related regional institutions;
l) on the basis of a distress call or on such other request as may be agreed after consultation with Sub-Regional Disaster Response Operational Units be capable of triggering the mechanism;
m) provide assistance on request to the heads of national disaster management Agencies in the event of a disaster;
n) on request liaise with the disciplined forces of sending States both in the planning and response stage of any operation mounted after the activation of the triggering mechanism;
o) assist in the development of comprehensive disaster management capabilities and review periodically the disaster response capabilities of Participating States giving due consideration to the availability of resources for immediate and timely response to disaster situations;
p) establish collaborative arrangements and mechanisms with regional disaster management stakeholders to promote disaster loss reduction; and
q) prepare the administrative and emergency budgets of CDEMA for submission to the MCC.
2. The Coordinating Unit shall have the following programming areas:
a) education, research and information;
b) finance and administration;
c) preparedness and response;
d) mitigation and research; and
e) any other programming area, which the Council may determine.