Context :

Created in 2005, the Regional Intervention Platform for the Americas and the Caribbean (PIRAC) is the representative delegation of the French Red Cross (FRC) for the Caribbean region, based in Guadeloupe, as well as its operational mechanism for humanitarian action and regional cooperation. PIRAC assists people in the Caribbean in the event of major disasters, and works to build resilience in French territories, as well as in the countries of the Caribbean arc and the Guyana Plateau.

PIRAC started the READY 360° program in January 2023 co-financed by the INTERREG Caribbean program. The READY 360° program aims to build global and greener resilience in Caribbean territories by strengthening disaster preparedness and response capacities at all levels: from the individual and family, to organizations and businesses, right up to the level of regional institutional coordination of risk management. It is divided into two phases: phase 1 to be implemented in 2023, and phase 2 from 2024.

It aims to achieve 4 main objectives: (i) Strengthen regional coordination and legislative frameworks for disaster management; (ii) Prepare for, anticipate and respond to disasters and crises with greener preparedness measures. (iii) Improve information, awareness and preparedness of citizens to disasters and crises; (iv) Develop technical studies and research on disaster management with experts and academic actors.

Emergency professionals (disaster risk management operators and National societies), entrepreneurs, the general public and young people are the main targets of the project, through actions to structure regional technical cooperation, emergency pre-positioning, training and the development of innovative educational 3 tools. The fundamental principle of this new approach is to reduce the environmental impact of risk management practices.

The program’s institutional partners are the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), and 8 Caribbean territories are involved in the program: Antigua & Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent & the Grenadines. As part of this program, PIRAC carries out emergency preparedness actions, including strengthening the storage capacities of Caribbean National societies (National Red Cross). The Red Cross Movement encourages the systematic integration of sustainability into the emergency response cycle and its members to reduce their own environmental impact. The FRC, along with several National societies in the Caribbean zone, is a signatory to the Humanitarian Charter on Climate and the Environment, which commits them to minimizing environmental damage. By supporting National societies in implementing their commitments, in particular by building and equipping storage facilities using an eco-responsible approach, they will be able to reduce their environmental impact.

To strengthen the disaster preparedness of Caribbean territories, the material capacities of the region’s National Societies have been improved through the construction in 2021 of storage warehouses meeting anti-hurricane and earthquake standards, and the creation of contingency stocks in 6 Caribbean territories (Antigua & Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent & the Grenadines).

Objectives :

General objective :

As part of the READY 360° program and National societies capacity-building activities, 2 types of activities are planned:

• The construction of new satellite warehouses from containers in locations at risk of isolation in the event of a disaster, as close as possible to the population;
• Upgrading/equipping the existing storage infrastructures of Caribbean National societies to optimize their usefulness and make them greener through the installation of systems based on renewable energy.

For each of these activities, the work to be carried out must integrate an environmentally-friendly, eco-responsible approach with the least ecological impact. The aim of this mission will be to carry out two studies, the results of which will enable these activities to be implemented with the project partners, and to improve knowledge of the eco-responsible approaches possible in the region in terms of the construction and fitting out of storage units.

Specific objectives :

More specifically, this will involve :

1. Study 1: Conduct an analysis of the building materials with a low environmental impact available in the Caribbean ;
2. Study 2: Conduct an assessment of the National societies’ storage warehouses to determine the need for additional facilities and equipment to improve them, integrating an inclusive approach and with measures that prioritize respect for the environment.