Background

The 2011-2012 DIPECHO Action Plan for the Caribbean, funded by The Humanitarian Aid department & Civil Protection of the European Commission (ECHO), establishes as one of its components the promotion of a close coordination among implementing partners, allowing the programming of common activities and outcomes as well as the exchange of experiences and tools and the harmonization of practices. 11 projects are currently being implemented under the 2011-2012 DIPECHO Action Plan. This webpage promotes the achievements related to each project and tools developed within these projects. The DIPECHO Programme contributes to the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015 (HFA). A key element in DIPECHO is the development of Key contributions in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) so as to identify successful models for replication elsewhere by national/sub-national authorities or other funding instruments of the European Commission, other donors. ECHO's humanitarian mandate prescribes a focus on saving lives, providing relief and thus assisting the most vulnerable groups. ECHO prioritizes 'people-oriented' preparedness measures and, therefore, focuses on supporting strategies and complementing existing strategies that enable local communities and institutions to better prepare for, mitigate and respond adequately to natural disasters by enhancing their capacities to cope and respond. This increases their resilience and reduces their vulnerability. ECHO's support is a combination of community-based projects and projects at national or regional level that strive to increase resilience in the event of natural hazards. Projects are implemented through a wide range of partners, including local organisations that provide access to the most marginalized and vulnerable people. ECHO involvement in Disaster Risk Reduction / Disaster Preparedness has increased significantly in the last decade both in terms of funding as well as in terms of expansion of activities (DIPECHO, slow onset disasters, involvement in epidemic prevention, targeted Disaster Preparedness projects).