Interoperability Manual Consultant (15431 RSC 2019)

This consultantcy involves developing an interoperability handbook together with CDEMA and OCHA counterparts that enables diverse actors to understand how CDEMA and OCHA operate. The handbook will serve as guidance for national and regional partners (Caribbean), international organizations, NGOs, INGOs, military and other entities that operate in the Caribbean in order to facilitate better understanding of how CDEMA and OCHA operate both on an individual and collective basis.

Project description and background

The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season was an extremely destructive season, featuring 17 named storms, ranking alongside 1936 as the fifth-most active season on record since 1851. The season also featured both the highest total accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) and the highest number of major hurricanes since 2005.  All ten of the season's hurricanes occurred in a row, the greatest number of consecutive hurricanes in the satellite era. In addition, it was by far the costliest season on record, with a preliminary total of over US$292.23 billion in damages; essentially all of which was due to three of the season's major hurricanes - Harvey, Irma, and Maria.  This season is also one of only six years on record to feature multiple Category 5 hurricanes, two making landfall at that intensity. It is the only season on record in which three hurricanes each had an ACE of over 40: Irma, Jose, and Maria.  Although the season officially runs annually from 1 June to 30 November, formation of Tropical Storm Arlene in April, and Tropical Storm Bret in mid-June shows that these systems can fall outside of the season and affect countries (e.g. Trinidad and Tobago) not typically impacted by cyclonic activities, highlighting the need for regional capacity. The 2017 season was a reminder of how vulnerable the region is.

The 2017 hurricane season challenged the entire region in terms of preparedness to face the fast forming and approaching hurricanes, the readiness of the regional response system as well as the coordination of international relief response to the impacted islands.  Lessons from Hurricane Season 2017 include the need for better information, assessments and reports that adequately capture the damage and loss, and reduced duplication of efforts on the ground, allowing regional actors such as the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), and international humanitarian agencies, to take actions to save lives, get communities back on their feet, and restore daily life and activities.  

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and CDEMA jointly developed a project proposal DIPECHO project proposal to strengthen integrated and cohesive preparedness capacity at a regional, national and community level in the Caribbean. 

The project will strengthen preparedness in Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) through the strengthening of CDEMA´s Regional Response Mechanism (RRM) and effective scaling up of concrete early warning systems (EWS) actions at a national and community level; Cuba's knowledge, tools and technical assistance will be leveraged to support application of concrete actions. 

The project proposes four (4) expected results

• R1: Regional preparedness is strengthened through operational response readiness and harmonised approach to MHEWS;
• R2: Appropriate actions and solutions taken to increase EWS integration and effectiveness at the national level;
• R3: Increased effectiveness of preparedness at community level through concrete priority actions;
• R4: Leverage existing best practices, and support for sustainable actions.