Webinar: Disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation - Pathways for sustainable development and policy coherence in the Caribbean region through Comprehensive Risk Management

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The Bali Agenda for Resilience, a key outcome of the recently held 7th Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, calls for integrated approaches to climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, and identifies the development of the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) as an important mainstreaming opportunity. To stay ahead of growing climate and disaster impacts and risks, we must ensure the interoperability of interventions and create synergies between initiatives, sectors and approaches at all levels and across all scales.

The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction for the Americas and the Caribbean, in partnership with the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), have conducted a study on the degree of coherence between national policies and plans focusing on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), DRR and CCA in the Caribbean Region. This regional analysis aimed at enhancing the understanding of the level of and approaches to coherence of planning and policy implementation mechanisms in countries across the Caribbean Region. The baseline analysis of the status of coherence of Caribbean countries presented in this report helps us to identify recommendations for enhanced multi-sectoral SD, DRR and CCA policy and governance coherence targeted at specific stakeholder groups at subnational, national, regional, and international level.

The report recognizes Coherence as ‘the approach and deliberate processes and actions within a country to integrate – as appropriate – the implementation of the Sustainable Development Agenda, Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and Paris Agreement; in order to increase efficiency, effectiveness, and the achievement of common (e.g., resilience) and respective goals.

This webinar will present the main outcomes of the report and its recommendations to address coherence. It will also introduce country examples on how national governments and United Nations Organizations are promoting policy coherence in the Caribbean region through a comprehensive risk management approach. The webinar therefore aims to discuss these issues, while providing a platform for exchange and knowledge.

Target Audience    

Policy Makers and practitioners, including amongst others, National Disaster Risk and Climate Adaptation Managers; Representatives from Ministries of Environment, Planning and Development; and, Multilateral, Regional and Bilateral Partners.

Session objectives

• Have a clear understanding of the benefits of a comprehensive risk management approach. 
• Assess the extent to which existing policy coherence ensures an integrated approach to climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction.
• Share experiences at the national level on how the Caribbean countries are working on different approaches and deliberate processes, to integrate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Agenda, Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and Paris Agreement; in order to increase efficiency, effectiveness, and the achievement of common (e.g., resilience) and respective goals.
• Present advancements in climate adaptation, disaster risk reduction, territorial planning, and resilience building tools to strengthen and promote sustainable development at the regional, national and local levels. 
• Promote the exchange of shared experiences on the progress made of integrating disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation, environmental systems management, land-use planning, etc. 
• Present experiences of collaboration between intergovernmental organizations supporting DRR and CCA joint action & implementation.