On April 12, Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan hosted a ministerial meeting with ministers and disaster management officials from 18 Caribbean countries to launch a new disaster resilience initiative, the U.S.-Caribbean Resilience Partnership, at the U.S. Southern Command headquarters in Miami, Florida. The event reinforces the close ties between the United States and the Caribbean, and their common commitment to build security, prosperity, and regional resilience to disasters. This initiative is a part of the strategy for enhanced U.S. engagement in the Caribbean - U.S. Caribbean 2020."