The Caribbean is defined by extraordinary resilience and stunning environments, yet extreme hazards continuously threaten socio-economic progress. The rapid intensification of Hurricane Beryl in 2024, followed by the even more destructive Hurricane Melissa in 2025, underscored the region’s vulnerability. On average, disasters cost each country 1-2 percent of its GDP, creating immense fiscal challenges for small island states.

While climate change intensifies these risks, ranging from earthquakes to slow-onset stresses like drought and sea-level rise, the region’s vulnerability is also structural. For too long, recovery has meant rebuilding what was lost, often recreating the same vulnerabilities. Recovery must instead be understood as an opportunity for transformation. A recent high-level policy dialogue convened by UNDP explored how recovery can serve as an opportunity to build resilience and advance long-term development.

Planning Recovery Before Disasters

Designing systemic transformation is nearly impossible while simultaneously responding to immediate humanitarian needs. This is where ex-ante recovery planning becomes critical. Simply put, it means planning for recovery before a disaster occurs, so that systems are already in place for fast, coordinated action.

Such approaches are being implemented through partnerships like the EU-supported European Union-Caribbean Resilient Programme (EU-CA-RES), which strengthens recovery systems. This work builds on the long-standing role of partners like the EU and UNDP in supporting post-disaster recovery, including through critical Post-Disaster Needs Assessments (PDNAs) via the Intra-ACP (African, Caribbean and Pacific) and other programmes. These initiatives ensure governance structures and financing are defined in advance, and they align with regional mechanisms like the CARICOM-mandated Caribbean Resilient Recovery Facility (CRRF), led by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), which embeds recovery planning into national systems as a standard practice.

Putting People at the Centre

Resilient recovery places equal emphasis on infrastructure, people, and livelihoods. Alongside rebuilding physical assets, it strengthens social and economic systems. Promoting safer housing through regional standards, for example, must go hand-in-hand with training informal builders. It also requires using data and risk assessment tools on land use, infrastructure, and social protection.

At the same time, recovery must safeguard livelihoods. Post Hurricane Melissa, the Government of Jamaica activated national disaster and social support systems, demonstrating how aligned systems can deliver prompt support. To lead this process, the EU is supporting the establishment of the National Recovery and Resilience Agency (NARRA), a dedicated national body capturing the momentum for transformative recovery.

Financing a New Trajectory

In a region with limited fiscal space, financial instruments must support long-term resilience. Risk mitigation tools like parametric insurance trigger rapid payouts after extreme weather events, providing governments with immediate liquidity. In the Caribbean, the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF) enables governments to access funds within 14 days, easing fiscal strain. When these financial systems are aligned with pre-defined recovery strategies, countries are better positioned to invest in rebuilding that reduces future risk.

A Call to Action

The shift toward ex-ante recovery planning is gaining momentum. To sustain it, we offer three priorities:

First, embed recovery planning within national policy frameworks. When recovery processes are pre-defined, financed, and institutionally anchored, countries can act quickly and effectively.

Second, increase access to pre-arranged financing. This includes contingent credit, insurance, and other tools that ensure resources are available to move at speed and scale.

Third, invest in local capacity and data systems. Strengthening national institutions and improving access to risk information allows countries to lead recovery processes that reflect their own priorities.

Future hazards may be unavoidable, but long-term development setbacks do not have to be. By advancing ex-ante approaches to recovery, the region can move towards a more resilient and sustainable future.

Watch the full policy dialogue “What does resilient recovery in the Caribbean look like?”