Managing disaster risk and water security: strategies for Small Island Developing States
There are 38 Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the world, located in the Caribbean, Pacific and Atlantic-Indian-Ocean Mediterranean-South (AIMS) China Sea regions. The SIDS are on the front line of climate change, highly vulnerable to extreme weather events and sea-level rise. These factors, combined with pressure on the limited natural resources that these island nations need to sustain their economies and ensure their populations’ livelihoods, mean that they are the first to be severely affected by global climate variations and water crises. This briefing presents issues that decision-makers in island nations need to address to craft national or regional strategies for disaster risk reduction (DRR) and water security planning. DRR policies, and the resulting strategies and action plans are the basis for building long-term partnerships for sustainable development with international funding agencies. SIDS are among the highest-risk locations on the planet.
