EU to release €43 million aid fund on disaster preparedness for Latin America and the Caribbean
The European Union (EU) is giving financial aid for disaster preparedness in Latin America and the Caribbean.
This announcement will be made during the EU-Latin America and Caribbean Forum, on July 17 and 18, which will host the event ‘Disaster preparedness saves lives‘, co-hosted by the EU and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR).
“For three decades the EU has been present in the Latin America and Caribbean region, strengthening disaster preparedness and emergency response,” Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, said. “In a region that is among the world’s most disaster-prone and subjected to increasingly frequent and impactful disasters, we must act together to further preparedness and keep people safe.”
Lenarčič emphasized that this “saves lives, protects communities and preserves development gains.”
“This is why I am confident that our new humanitarian funding will also help strengthening cooperation and risk management across the region,” he said.
Representatives from the EU and Latin America and the Caribbean countries, UN and civil society organisations, intergovernmental agencies and disaster management bodies, among others will attend the ‘Disaster preparedness saves lives’ event.
“The gathering provides a unique platform to enhance cooperation and showcase the evolution of the disaster preparedness and emergency response in the region, as well as the opportunity to share key achievements and lessons learnt,” the official statement said.
It is a timely event since the region is in its hurricane season, and it could help several islands that have been preparing for possible onslaughts of typhoons and hurricane be able to mitigate the impact of these rains.
Islands like Dominica have gone ahead to ramp up their disaster preparedness, and has been on a roll developing infrastructure that are climate-resilient and can withstand the effects of these heavy rains. In partnership with MMC Development Ltd., Dominica has built more than 2,000 sustainable residential units for its residents.
In February this year, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that his country is allotting $44.8 million in aid to the region, intending to focus on new initiatives such as “biodiversity, climate resilience, and disaster preparedness and recovery to support CARICOM in addressing the climate crisis.”