Continued from previous page Moreover, it is imperative that Hurricane Mass Casualty Plans become more gender and COVID-19 responsive. Sector-specific hurricane preparedness plans for 2020, especially in the agriculture and tourism sectors, should be revised and tested to promote gender-responsive resilience. Business recovery and continuity plans, along with the public-private partnerships that are being developed to respond to the COVID-19 impact must also incorporate hurricane preparedness and recovery strategies, which adequately identify and address women’s and men’s needs and potential alike. These plans need to integrate resources and strategies to address the unpaid care work responsibilities that parents currently face and is likely to increase as a result of the hurricane season. The UN Women MCO has developed an Action Brief which entails strategies that can be adapted. Given the small island developing state context, accommodated in shelters. Strengthening Resilience as a Region In addition to the humanitarian benefits, building resilience to multi-faceted hazards would allow the Caribbean region to benefit from economies of scale, as well as create a platform for the sharing of lessons learned on what works for gender-responsive prevention, resilience and recovery. The UN Women MCO’s Memorandum of Understanding with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) for example, indicates the Agency’s commitment to organize regional, gender responsive prevention, preparedness and response to disaster shocks. Apart from the security protocols and guidelines according to ‘COVID-19 Hurricane Shelter Management’ for a pending severe weather threat could pose a significant challenge this year. Apart from the security protocols and guidelines according to specific requirements to prevent gender-based violence, Hurricane Shelter Managers must now institute COVID-19 measures as well. The Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) has developed COVID-19 specific guidelines, and UN Women MCO Caribbean has developed Shelter Guidelines in collaboration with PAHO and the United Nations Populations Fund for GBV Shelters in April 2020. Both guidelines will be instrumental in restructuring ‘COVID-19 Hurricane Shelter Management.’ The UN Women MCO will continue to collaborate to integrate lessons learned from previous hurricane-related experience to support efforts to ensure that families are better specific requirements to prevent gender-based violence, Hurricane Shelter Managers must now institute COVID-19 measures as well It is important for humanitarian and relief efforts to be gender-responsive in order to improve access to emergency funding as well as service delivery. Service delivery should be based on the analysis of sex-disaggregated data to ensure that the needs of vulnerable and marginalised populations are adequately addressed. International, regional and national agendas must all be aligned to boost climate change adaptation and disaster resilience. Strengthening resilience will not only ensure enhanced prevention and preparedness but also enable a swift recovery from all hazards, including hurricanes and the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020 hurricane season is not just an unprecedented challenge, but it has the potential to become an unprecedentedly successful, gender-responsive disaster management experience in the history of the Caribbean. It is an opportunity to demonstrate lessons learned enhanced by the COVID-19 experience to build back better for women, men, boys and girls alike so as to keep the Caribbean on the path of resilient and sustainable development. This UN Women MCO Caribbean article Gender-Transformative Hurricane Resilience during the COVID-19 Crisis by Kyana Bowen, Programme Officer - Humanitarian, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Resilience. 8
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