Community Resilience Sub-regional Forum: Building Disaster Resilience in Caribbean communities through diverse partnership

This workshop was part of a project with The University of the West Indies, University of Toronto (UofT) and the National Autonomous University of Mexico’s (UNAM) titled “Building Resilience: Creating a Tri-National Network for Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction.” This initiative sought to advance community-based strategies and foster global partnerships to enhance resilience in the face of climatic and environmental challenges. The workshop built on co-developed community resilience activities facilitated through partnership with the Global Resilience Institute at Northeastern University and University of Hawai’i.

The hybrid workshop was 26 -27 March 2025 at The University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus in Barbados and via the Zoom Platform. 

The event addressed the distinct challenges faced by Caribbean communities—from youth engagement to integrating resilience into national development frameworks—while highlighting ongoing co-development efforts across Dominica, Barbados, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The forum centered on community-centered co-production, featuring contributions from District Emergency Organizations, national agencies, and community committees, each illustrating how volunteer networks and localized initiatives underpin regional resilience. Quickfire presentations from anchor institutions (UWI, UNAM, UofT, and the Caribbean Development Bank) underscored the importance of actionable, practice-oriented research, while the student and community pitch session reinforced the forum’s commitment to elevating emerging voices and grassroots proposals. The field visit on Day 2 to the Pile Bay community, led by the St. Michael Northwest District Emergency Organization and focused on coastal and technological hazards, further grounded the forum’s thematic discussions in lived community realities, demonstrating how regional DRR strategies translate into on-the-ground practices in Barbados.

The event materials are available here