Caribbean: Instructors in disaster risk reduction undergo training
The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission, through the Ocean Governance Unit and the Reduce Risks to Human & Natural Assets Resulting from Climate Change (RRACC) project, in partnership with the ACP-Brussels, have developed a Train the Trainer Instructor programme in the Caribbean region on disaster risk reduction in small island developing states.
The five-day training targets representatives from key regional agencies from disaster management, water resources management, tourism, fisheries, agriculture, NGO and health.
Lester Arnold, Project Coordinator of the RRACC at the OECS commission, notes: “As part of the project’s mandate we are to build the enabling environment in support of policies and laws to reduce vulnerability, address information gaps that can strain addressing vulnerabilities, making interventions in fresh water and coastal management to build resilience in the tourism and agriculture sector, raise awareness on issues related to climate change and improve capacities for climate change adaptation. Over the years, the OECS member countries have created pivotal institutions that are providing, through regional stability, socio-economic advancement. However climate change impacts and climate variability are shown to have serious environmental, social and economic consequences on member states.”
Arnold says in order to combat the effects of climate change, there is a need to develop policies, strategies and plans to mitigate its impacts. He says the roles and responsibilities of member states should also be outlined to help build capacity, and enhance resilience through disaster risk reduction measures.
“In view of building resilience and creating the enabling environment to deal with disaster risk reduction using ecosystems, the OECS Commission, through the RRACC project, in collaboration with the Ocean Governance Unit and the ACP has engaged the services of these facilitators to develop and deliver this training workshop that has been tailor-made for the region, and which will enable member states to develop their own ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction measure.”
Five years ago, the OECS Commission started its first climate change project with funding by the USAID to the tune of us$9.5 million.
This was in response to the amount of money spent on restoration efforts after natural disasters.
Between 1990 and 2008 the Caribbean experienced 165 natural disasters with the total impact in damage and losses estimated to be us$136 billion with economic impact at it’s highest at us$63 billion.
The training hopes to provide exposure which will allow for better articulation, establishing synergies and mainstreaming of eco disaster risk reduction climate change adaptation into policy and programme management.