Speaking on behalf of the OECS delegation at COP26, Mr. Crispin d’Auvergne, OECS Climate Change & Disaster Risk Management Coordinator, highlighted that “The small Caribbean islands are particularly exposed to natural hazards and face increasing risks resulting from climate change, it is therefore vital that the region get ready to better respond to these impacts.”
The READY Together programme, through the partnership between the OECS and the Regional Intervention Platform for the Americas and the Caribbean (PIRAC) of the French Red Cross, is geared towards a united Caribbean prepared to face disaster and climate change effects.
Mr. Sendy Veerabadren, Head of PIRAC, noted that “In front of such significant climate impacts for small island territories, regional cooperation and coordination are essential to build resilience.”
The READY Together programme contributes to the achievement of COP26 goals through its actions such as:
- The dissemination of multi-risk awareness messages and good practices of adaptation to climate change;
- Building resilience of vulnerable business owners through business preparedness and sensitization;
- The implementation of innovative technologies such as water desalinisation in emergency;
- The advocacy for disaster risk reduction (DRR), international disaster response law (IDRL) and climate change adaptation (CCA) mainstreaming;
- The forecasting of hydro-meteorological impacts and the development of early action systems;
- Capacity building on emergency response at national and regional levels.
