In the frame of the Small Island States Initiative (SISRI), the ACP-EU NDRR Program financed the Third SISRI Practitioners’ Network meeting which took place in Mexico City from 13-14 May 2018, as a side event of the UR Forum. It brought together over 40 government officials from the Pacific, Caribbean and African/Indian Ocean in addition to other experts from the World Bank, the EU and the ACP Secretariat, and other institutions. It was an opportunity to share good practices, innovations, challenges and practical solutions on resilient recovery in the aftermath of disasters, a topic particularly relevant after the recent disasters resulting from Hurricane Irma in Antigua and Barbuda, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Saint Kitts, Hurricane Maria in Dominica and Cyclone Gita in Tonga.
The meeting covered a range of topics divided in seven sessions - from post-disaster assessments, institutions, governance and policies for resilient recovery and build back better to the involvement of the private sector, gender and social inclusion, housing and social and financial mechanisms and instruments. The closing remarks were made by the Head of Climate Change Sector in the EU’s Directorate General for Development and Cooperation (DEVCO), Etienne Coyette and Ambassador Leonard-Emile Ognimba from the ACP Secretariat. Both underlined the importance of Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) learning from each other due to their similar and context and vulnerability to natural hazards and the impacts of climate change.
The key messages from the meeting was summarized in three actions - rebuild faster, more inclusively, and stronger – to generate large benefits and build back better, which is particularly important for small island states due to their high vulnerability to climate and disaster risks and small scale. The practitioners highlighted the insights, connections, ideas and methodologies gained as the main takeaways from the workshop, including the need to continue exchanging best practices among SIDS to build climate and disaster resilience.
Useful links can be found below:
• SISRI Practitioner’s Network Meeting here
• Adapting Fiji's development strategy to the impacts of climate change here.
• Dominica's path to resilient recovery here.
ACP-EU Natural Disaster Risk Reduction Program
In collaboration with:
