This report takes the COVID-19 pandemic experience in Caribbean SIDS as an opportunity to capture learnings about effective crisis prevention, response, recovery and resilience building strategies. Studying vulnerable urban communities in Antigua and Barbuda and Saint Lucia, it unpacks how climate change vulnerabilities were exacerbated by COVID-19, and how pandemic recovery actions addressed the health crisis as well as broader climate threats.
Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are highly vulnerable to external shocks and stresses, especially, but not only, to the accelerating impacts of climate change. Building broad-based economic, social and environmental resilience and sustainability in SIDS is both critical and urgent.
This report takes the COVID-19 pandemic experience in Caribbean SIDS as an opportunity to capture learnings about effective crisis prevention, response and recovery strategies, and future priorities for building inclusive, resilient and sustainable societies and human settlements. Taking vulnerable urban communities in Antigua and Barbuda and Saint Lucia as case studies, it unpacks how climate change vulnerabilities were exacerbated by COVID-19, as well as how pandemic recovery actions addressed the immediate health crisis as well as broader climate threats. In this way, the report offers insights into how Caribbean SIDS can strategically harness the interlinkages and shared underlying vulnerabilities of the multiple challenges they face to achieve more comprehensive risk reduction.
The report outlines recommendations for policymaking, partnerships and local action to strengthen the resilience of human settlements in Caribbean SIDS going forward. It stresses the need for economic diversification and strengthening of the blue economy; climate resilience housing and infrastructure investments; expanded use of nature-based solutions; and bolstered adaptation financing.
The report is one in a set of four coming out of the project ‘Strengthened Capacities of African, Caribbean and Pacific SIDS for Green, Resilient and Pro-poor Pandemic Recovery’, funded by the UN Development Account and implemented in three SIDS regions of the world. The remaining reports focus on African and Pacific SIDS or offer a global summary.
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