|
| CPR Newsletter: Securing development, peace and justice for all | |
|
Building capacity for climate risk management in the Caribbean
As a result, the Caribbean Risk Management Initiative (CRMI) was launched in 2004 as an umbrella programme designed to build capacity across the Caribbean region to manage climate-related risk. Within the UNDP strategy for knowledge management, the CRMI provides a platform for coordinating and sharing knowledge and experiences on risk management throughout the Caribbean. This regional programme is anchored in the UNDP country offices in Cuba and in Barbados, the latter also encompassing the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). The Hyogo Framework for Action—issued by the international community in 2005—guides the UNDP’s collaboration in this area, including the CRMI in the Caribbean region. Case studies on best practices in risk management in the Caribbean are published by CRMI, with the goal to integrate the traditional risk management field with the new field of adaptation to climate change, as these two areas often work separately on what are common climate risk issues. One case study recounts the process by which the British Virgin Islands gradually came to incorporate anticipatory risk management into its development planning. Other case studies focus on local interdisciplinary centres for risk management, the use of bamboo for hurricane-resistant housing construction, the management of coastal flooding in urban centres, and application of a comprehensive disaster management mechanism in selected countries in the region. Another key activity supported by CRMI is regional collaboration on climate modelling in order to foresee short-term scenarios and longer term scenarios into the year 2100. Obtaining more precise scientific data to help anticipate the effect of climate change on the region is crucial for decision makers in order to guide development planning carefully. Another strategic activity is work on mainstreaming gender concerns into risk management in the region. The CRMI is currently undertaking an assessment of risk exposure by gender and a review of civil defence mechanisms in a representative sample of Caribbean countries. Case studies on climate change adaptation in the Caribbean with a gender focus will also be published. The initiative has produced a website where all materials are available in Spanish, French and English, so that the majority of Caribbean risk management practitioners and citizens can access this knowledge in their language of preference. The website address is www.undp.org.cu/crmi.
|
Quick
Links... Newsletter
Home Send
us Your Feedback! What do you
think of this article? If you have suggestions on implementing these
best practices, recommendations for related reading, or other ideas, let
us know.
|
With the acceleration of global climate change and the vulnerability of Caribbean countries, the increasing risk posed by a range of natural and environmental hazards remains one of the Caribbean region’s most critical unresolved development problems. In this context, a preparatory process for a regional initiative was undertaken in 2002 by the UNDP’s Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR) and the Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean (RBLAC). The process included background research and a high-level forum of experts.