Unesco’s drive to address climate change, risk reduction

After the first round of expressions of interest closed on January 15, UNESCO has reopened the call for young professionals from Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to join a platform that will address climate change, disaster management and risk reduction in the region.

With the extended deadline of January 31, 2021, UNESCO particularly aims to attract more young professionals from the English and Dutch-speaking Caribbean SIDS, targeted by the call along with those from the French- speaking Haiti, who sent most of the applications so far.

“I encourage young professionals to respond to the call to help UNESCO to create a youth platform where they can learn by sharing their knowledge and ideas and be further motivated and empowered to making a difference for disaster management
and risk reduction.

“UNESCO has successfully supported similar initiatives in Africa and Asia, and now looks forward to doing the same in the Caribbean” said Massimiliano Lombardo, ProOKgramme Specialist for Natural Sciences at the UNESCO Cluster Office for the Caribbean.

Over the last decades, the Caribbean SIDS have suffered more frequent and severe natural disasters such as storms, hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, floods and droughts.

Climate change and global warming further increase the risks of natural disasters. People in coastal communities are especially vulnerable as the rising sea level can flood their homes.

Disasters severely affect the natural environment, the economy and livelihoods.

Responding to the special needs of the Caribbean SIDS, the UNESCO Cluster Office for the Caribbean launched the Special Initiative for the Caribbean (SPIC) in 2018, paying special attention to Youth and Climate Change as its two thematic development priorities.

In December 2019, UNESCO supported the design and establishment of the Caribbean Youth Network on Climate Change to mobilize youth leaders across the Caribbean region to take climate resilience-related action.

In collaboration with regional and international partners, in 2021 UNESCO will launch a Caribbean youth platform for disaster management and risk reduction to serve as a multidisciplinary hub for young professionals from diverse academic backgrounds, professional experience and expertise to share their knowledge, practices and experiences in disaster risk management (DRM), discuss their views and take relevant and coordinated action, in the form of physical (on the ground) or digital (online/offline) initiatives.

Activities include: Discussions with national, regional and international stakeholders, such as national government authorities, regional inter-governmental bodies, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), private companies, universities, research institutes; organizing webinars with a focus on knowledge exchange; designing of coordinated actions, projects, events and other initiatives, aimed at improving DRM in the Caribbean SIDS, with a focus on raising public awareness and developing the disaster preparedness and response capacities of key stakeholders; and connecting with other similar platforms worldwide to exchange Wbest practices.

Young professionals are invited to submit their expression of interest by January 31, 2021. (PR)