The Caribbean is one of the regions of the world most exposed to natural hazards, and is regularly affected by disasters and crises that tend to intensify with climate change. Faced with the scale of certain crises, civilian humanitarian aid resources can sometimes be insufficient to deliver aid to affected populations. Depending on the context, it may be necessary to use military resources to facilitate the transport of aid. Civil-military coordination is essential to support humanitarian response, in the respect of the humanitarian principles of independence and neutrality.

The 2023 civil military cooperation consultative & strategic workshop for the Caribbean is being held online from November 27 to December 1, 2023, organized jointly by the IFRC, CDEMA and the French Red Cross through PIRAC, as part of the READY 360° programme, co-funded by INTERREG Caribbean under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

During this regional workshop, civilian and military stakeholders will continue the work they have been doing in recent years to join forces and respond as quickly as possible to the needs of affected populations. In particular, PIRAC will share its experience of cooperation with the French armed forces in recent deployments of emergency stocks, such as in Haiti following the earthquake in 2021.