Chief of Defence Staff, Brigadier Omar Khan, MSS, recently met with a delegation from the Inter-American Defense Board (IADB) ahead of the official opening of the Mechanism for Disaster Cooperation Exercise (MECODEX 2025). The courtesy call took place at Brigadier Khan’s office, where discussions centered on Guyana’s role in enhancing regional preparedness and response to flood-related disasters.
The visiting delegation is led by Director General of the IADB, Lieutenant General Flavio Luiz Oliveira Pinto, who is in Guyana with a team of regional experts and military officials for this year’s iteration of MECODEX 2025, a major disaster response simulation exercise involving countries from across the Americas.
Brigadier Khan expressed Guyana’s honour in supporting this vital initiative, which serves as a platform for regional partners to strengthen coordination, refine disaster-response protocols, and share best practices in flood emergency management.
MECODEX 2025, now in its fourth edition, is being conducted in collaboration with the IADB and Guyana’s Civil Defence Commission (CDC), under the auspices of the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas (CDMA).
Participants are working through a comprehensive simulated flood scenario using advanced coordination tools such as SICODE, developed by Brazil’s Military Institute of Engineering. These tools help enhance strategic decision-making and interoperability among regional actors.
The official opening ceremony, held on Monday, featured a keynote address by Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, and was chaired by Major General Flavio de Oliveira Pinto, Director General of the IADB Secretariat. The Guyanese delegation is being led by CDC Director, Colonel (Ret’d) Nazrul Hussain, and includes representatives of the Guyana Defence Force.
