The Caribbean is in the second most disaster-prone region globally (Natural Disasters in Latin America and the Caribbean 2000–2019. OCHA 2020). The region recorded 1 205 disasters from 2000 to 2019 – flood-related disaster were the most common, then storms. On average, the region experiences 17 hurricanes per year, of those from 2000 to 2019 were Category 5. The 2017 hurricane season was the third worst on record in the region in terms of the number of countries affected and the magnitude of damage and 2019 experienced the strongest Atlantic hurricane on record to make a landfall (Hurricane Dorian). The region is also at high risk to droughts, extreme temperatures, landslides and increasing seismic activity, among others.
Against this risk landscape is the increasing uncertainty generated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has imposed a new dimension to working in the region and demonstrated the need for close collaboration among all partners to devise a robust mechanism to sustain engagement and activity. This two-day coordination meeting will bring together over 20 donors, development institutions and implementing partners, both at the regional and global level, to participate in a dialogue exploring opportunities to further harmonize early warning system initiatives in the Caribbean. The key objective is to identify a mechanism to optimize collaboration that can be regionally owned and managed, and could be adopted or adapted elsewhere.
Tentative Agenda
Invitees include:
- Development Partners
- United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
- Disaster Preparedness European. Community Humanitarian Office (DIPECHO)
- Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)
- Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems (CREWS) Initiative
- Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)
- Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development (EU-Devco)
- Green Climate Fund (GCF)
- Regional Institutions
- Caribbean Meteorological Organization (CMO)
- Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC)
- Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH)
- Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA)
- Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Tsunami and Other Coastal Hazards Warning System for the Caribbean and Adjacent Regions (UNESCO/IOC)
- Caribbean Tsunami Information Center (CTIC, a partnership between UNESCO/IOC and the Government of Barbados)
- Network of Caribbean Chambers of Commerce (CARICHAM)
- Implementing Partners
- The Met Office (United Kingdom)
- Météo France
- Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI)
- United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration–National Hurricane Center (NOAA-NHC)
- World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
- World Bank (WB)
- United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNDRR)
- Centro Internazionale di Ricerca in Monitoraggio Ambientale (CIMA) Research Foundation
- International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC)
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
- Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (UNESCO-IOC)
- UNESCO-IOC Tsunami Ready Pilot programme
- UNESCO/IOC/CTIC DIPECHO project ”Strengthening Capacities of Early Warning and Response for Tsunami and Other Coastal Hazards in the Caribbean”
WMO supports many initiatives in the Caribbean that aim to strengthen multi-hazard early warning systems, including:
- Climate Risk and Early Warning System (CREWS) Initiative Caribbean: Strengthening Hydro-Meteorological and Early Warning Services in the Caribbean, which focuses on CARICOM Member States
- CREWS Initiative Haiti: Support for the Hydrometeorological Unit of Haiti (UHM) for sustainable operability and the implementation of a relevant and efficient hydrometeorological warning system
- Canada CREWS: Building Resilience to High-Impact Hydro-meteorological events through strengthening MHEWS in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Southeast Asia (SEA)
- Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC): Climate Services to Reduce Vulnerability in Haiti
- Climate Investment Funds(CIF): The Caribbean Regional Track of the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience (Caribbean PPCR)
- European Union (EU) Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid (ECHO): Strengthened, integrated and cohesive preparedness capacity at a regional, national and community level in the Caribbean initiative
- EU Intra-ACP Climate Services Programme, which targets the African, Caribbean and Pacific regions
- USAID Hydro-meteorological Early Warning and Disaster Risk Reduction
