The impact of disasters caused by extreme natural phenomena in the Caribbean region is constantly on the rise, despite national and regional efforts to prepare, respond and mitigate the worst effects.

To address this increasing concern, the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO), jointly with its partners the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, will be gathering in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic with regional and national stakeholders and promoters of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), in a planning workshop.

Since 1994, the European Commission’s total financial aid to the Caribbean amounts to €488.3 million. Of this, €332 million has been dedicated to Haiti, notably to support the response to the devastating earthquake of 12 January 2010, the cholera epidemic, food insecurity and disaster preparedness. The remaining €156 million was allocated in humanitarian aid to the Caribbean, supporting response to emergencies and disaster preparedness activities.

As global strategic partner to UNISDR, ECHO’s support has been instrumental since 2005 in upholding the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 – as with its predecessor, the Hyogo Framework for Action. ECHO has also developed essential tools and processes which have strengthened the leadership of risk management systems, their capacity for emergency planning and the definition of priorities for disaster risk reduction.

The workshop will foster the coordination, exchange and synergies between partners, projects and allies of the DIPECHO DRR Plan for the Caribbean 2015-2016 in the region’s many countries.

To articulate a coordinated vision of DRR processes, the following roundtables will focus on:

* The international, regional and national scenarios for DRR;

* From global frameworks to on-the-ground operations;

* Early warning systems;

* Communicating on DRR.

The workshop will aim to establish mechanisms to design a common approach for the Caribbean. DRR projects will be analysed and coordinated, so as to keep supporting the national and local institutions who manage disaster risk.