Ready Together Program
The READY Together program aims to strengthen the emergency preparedness and response capacities of the Caribbean territories through a three-level approach: institutions and emergency actors, economic actors and local populations.
CONTEXT
The Caribbean is one of the regions most exposed to the risks of seismic, volcanic and meteorological disasters and climate change.
The 6th IPCC report foresees small island in the Caribbean sea will face more intense but generally fewer hurricanes. The report warns on the sea levels rising around small island, that will cause shorelines to retreat and, coupled with storms, will exacerbate coastal flooding. In the Caribbean, a decrease in rainfall is expected in the coming decades as well as a warming climate which will result in severe droughts.
The impacts on Caribbean populations and territories are exacerbated by social, economic and environmental vulnerability factors, limited preparedness and response capacities, and a risk culture that needs to be strengthened.
TERRITORIES
- Antigua & Barbuda
- Dominica
- Guadeloupe
- French Guiana
- Haïti
- Martinique
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
OBJECTIVES
The READY Together program aims to strengthen preparedness and response capacities to natural disasters in Caribbean territories by implementing activities aimed at three target audiences:
- Local populations: the program enables the deployment of awareness-raising and preparedness activities among citizens.
- Businesses: READY Together is a program designed to help small and medium-sized businesses anticipate and prepare for emergencies, in order to reduce the social and economic impact of potential disasters.
- Institutions and emergency responders: through training courses and workshops, the program aims to improve the logistical and emergency response capacities of the region’s institutions and various Red Cross organizations.
PROGRAM ACTIVITIES
The READY Together programme focuses on 5 main axis:
- Supporting regional coordination mechanisms
- Capacity building of National Red Cross
- Resilience of economic actors
- Awareness of natural risks and climate change adaptation
- Research and innovation
KEY FIGURES
- Budget : 6,8M €
- Period : 01/01/2019 – 31/12/2023
- Financial partners : INTERREG Caribbean, Agence Française de Développement (AFD), Guadeloupe region
- Operational partner : OECS
PROGRAM RESULTS
The READY Together project (2019-2023) is co-financed by the INTERREG Caraïbes V program under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), and the Regional Council of Guadeloupe. The READY Together program is part of the 3 Oceans project, financed by the AFD and carried out collectively by the three Regional Intervention Platforms (PIR) of the French Red Cross. The READY Together program is being continued through a new program: READY Together Extension (2024-2025), with a common mission: to strengthen the preparedness of Caribbean territories to cope with the risks of natural disasters and climate change.
