Building Resilience in the Caribbean

The adoption of the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda (ABAS) for Small-Island Developing States (SIDS), in May 2024 during the Fourth SIDS Conference, has stimulated activity across the Caribbean. ABAS is a renewed declaration for resilient prosperity, which clearly defines sustainable development aspirations for the next 10 years as well as the support needed from the international community to achieve them. It has the potential to sustainably transform the economies of Caribbean SIDS and to place them on the path to prosperity. In view of the Caribbean’s vulnerability to extreme natural hazards, which have repeatedly wiped-out their economic gains, National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) have an important role to play in delivering on the promise of ABAS.

Support to ABAS was on the mind of participants at the 67th Caribbean Meteorological Council, in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, a few months later from 18 to 22 November. Ministers from British Virgin Islands, Saint Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago as well as representatives of all the members of Caribbean Meteorological Organization (CMO) were in attendance. The meeting reviewed the progress that had been made in operational aspects, often thanks to the education and technical training support of the Caribbean Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH): National Climate Outlook Forums are expanding, there is a growing list of good practices on impact-based forecasting, and implementation of the Common Alerting Protocol is accelerating. The NMHSs noted that marine services were enhanced and that operational data exchange through the regional WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS) Centre had increased. Many NMHSs were developing innovative approaches such as the Belize SURFACE Climate Database Management System that interfaces with WIS 2.0 and other platforms. However, capacity building is a continuous task and is currently ongoing for Aviation Quality Management Systems as well as other areas.

The commitment of Caribbean Governments to improve resilience was most notable in their investment to acquire new early warning platforms for severe weather and their engagement with all vulnerable sectors and stakeholders. “A powerful example of the life-saving impact of these efforts was seen in the timely forecasts for the record-breaking Hurricane Beryl,” said Mr Marvin Gonzales, Minister for Public Utilities of Trinidad & Tobago. “The forecasts provided days of preparation time, reducing the loss of life, and enabling communities to safeguard property – an outcome that stands in stark contrast to the devastation of Hurricane Ivan two decades earlier. This and many other similar examples underscore the indispensable work of our Met Services and the urgent need to support them in strengthening their operational capabilities. As Ministers, we understand the challenges of limited resources, but we also know that investing in these services is an investment in saving lives and livelihoods.”

WMO has many projects and regional activities that contribute directly to ABAS. As a member of the UN Issue-based Coalition on Climate Change and Resilience, WMO is also working in a coordinated manner with other agencies to respond to the commitments of the Agenda for SIDS. On the ground, WMO continue to work with partners to support and extend the SWFP for the Eastern Caribbean, the activities of the Hurricane Committee and new hydrological activities in the region.