Haiti: Building Disaster and Climate Resilience in Haiti

Context and objectives

The Building Disaster and Climate Resilience in Haiti project built on activities conducted under the other ACP-EU NDRR project "Haiti: Disaster Risk Management Mainstreaming and Capacity Building Program." This follow-up project provided analytical tools and capacity building support to the Government of Haiti to strengthen its disaster preparedness and response capacity, and to improve the understanding and contingency planning activities in sectors that are essential for disaster preparedness and emergency response (including the education-, health-, and transport sectors).

In addition to delivering analytical tools and capacity building, the project sought to enhance the transparency and efficiency of post-disaster expenditures. In this way, the project informed the preparation of the $35 million World Bank-funded project "Haiti: Strengthening Disaster Risk Management and Climate Resilience", which aims to improve Municipal Civil Protection Committees' emergency preparedness and disaster response performance and to increase the network of shelters in selected municipalities in climate risk-prone areas.

Main activities and results

The following results have been achieved:

Component 1: Strengthening hydro-meteorological data management and services, and understanding flood risks for early warning.

• The project has supported a preliminary needs assessment for the development of a local flood risk model that will feed into risk-informed community level Early Warning Systems;
• The flood risk model was used to support the government in the development of 2 sectorial Disaster Risk Management plans;
• The flood risk model has been utilized to inform investment decision making under Component 2 regarding prioritized locations in need of increased shelter capacities.

Component 2: Assessing the vulnerability of key critical public services essential for preparedness and emergency response.

• A methodology was developed that allows for identifying future physical investments and informing capital investment plans, based on a cost-benefit analysis;
• The methodology has been used as a prototype for prioritizing locations with shelter investment needs.

Component 3: Strengthening emergency preparedness.

• An institutional diagnostic was developed for the Civil Protection General Directorate, with a focus on the identification of investments required for core functions and emergency shelter infrastructure;
• A behavioural diagnostic was conducted, to develop a better understanding of the structural (e.g. problems with the dissemination of Early Warning information) and behavioural barriers that limit people’s ability to evacuate to safe locations during hurricanes. 

Component 4: Enhancing transparency and efficiency of post disaster expenditures.

• A thorough review of the Post-Disaster Public Financial Management system in Haiti was conducted in collaboration with the World Bank Governance unit, identifying the system’s strengths and weaknesses.  General recommendations were made to strengthen this system, including improvements to the transparency of the emergency fund of the Ministry of Economy and Finance. 

Partnerships and coordination

The project was implemented in close collaboration with national counterparts and development partners, including the Civil Protection Directorate of the Ministry of Interior and Local Authorities, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training, the Ministry of Public Health and Population, and the National Geospatial Information of the Ministry of Planning.